Know Your Poker Legends: Stu Ungar
One of the cruel ironies of human existence is that bountiful gifts are often given to those who cannot handle them. Beauty and money come immediately to mind, but talent in a particular discipline is often bestowed upon those who cannot maximize it to its greatest potential. Still others are unwittingly destroyed by some trait or characteristic that makes them exceptional. That's what makes an athlete like Michael Jordan so exceptional-seldom are awesome talent, desire, discipline and dedication found in the same package in such prodigious abundance. The mass of humanity often reaps the benefits of their talents despite their external flaws. Such was the case with poker great Stu Ungar, who was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas on November 22, 1998.
The Prophet's Live Journal:
For those unfamiliar with the big guns of high stakes poker, the only way to describe Ungar's abilities is a metaphorical comparison to sports. With a green felt table and a deck of cards involved, Ungar was 'Jordan-esque'. With Ungar, his greatest accomplishment was undoubtedly three World Series of Poker victories-a feat not unlike MJ's six NBA titles. Texas Hold-em poker, the game of choice for the cognoscenti, is a seemingly simple game that belies it's deceptive complexity. The successful player needs to be able to instantaneously plan strategy based on a number of ever shifting variables. Countless volumes have been written on the subject, but Ungar was able to perform complex analysis and strategy with amazing speed-almost instinctively. Between his three Binion's Worlds Series victories, and countless more informal victories and profitable poker room sessions, Ungar won millions of dollars playing poker.
The amazing subtext to Ungar's sheer mastery of Texas Hold'em was the fact that it was the third card game he had mastered. Ungar first came to Las Vegas as a gin rummy prodigy; he had beaten all of the good players on the East Coast and moved to the desert mecca in search of new opportunities. He had soon run the table of Nevada's gin players, and then turned to blackjack out of necessity. He was quickly barred as a card counter at a number of Southern Nevada casinos. Needing a new vocation, he took up poker.
The problem, however, was that as masterful as Ungar was at life in the poker room, he was profoundly inept at existence beyond the casino walls. He fought a number of addictions-most notably to drugs and sports gambling. Following his WSOP victory in 1997, the 1998 tourney found him broke and almost wasted away from drug use. Though he had secured financial backing that would have enabled him to play, as the games began Ungar sat in the dark in his hotel room at Binion's unable to compose himself enough to appear.
Other stories of Ungar's troubled life away from the poker tables evoke the same theme: buying a new Mercedes with cash after a WSOP victory and driving it until it fell apart from lack of maintenance; signing mortgage papers as he played in the Dunes poker room; losing 1.5 million dollars betting on sports in the course of a weekend.
Sadly, Ungar's death came as a ray of hope had entered his life. Noted casino owner and longtime friend Bob Stupak had stepped in to help Ungar pay off his debts, clean up his life, and provide the stake money to enter the major poker tournaments. Ungar was found two days after the two had formalized the agreement in a contract. Ungar also left behind an ex-wife and a teenage daughter, who still live in Las Vegas. The official cause of death was listed as "coronary atherosclerosis" and a mixture of drugs including cocaine, methadone and Percodan were found in his system.
Most of the famous gamblers of Las Vegas legend-guys like Puggy Person and Doyle Brunson-- have been tough, larger than life individuals with a healthier than normal dose of self-preservation skills. In this respect, Ungar was an anomaly among gambling greats-he was physically frail and almost completely helpless away from the poker table. With a handful of cards and a pile of chips, however, he became a ruthless and indomitable warrior. His story is certainly not one that the modern day, publicity conscious Las Vegas will celebrate. He will be remembered, however, as part of the tradition that gives the city its unique character. From the mobsters that pioneered the city, to the Rat Pack that civilized it, to the corporations that cleaned it up, characters like Stu Ungar have provided the spice that makes Las Vegas America's 'Paris in the desert'. Ungar may never have a statue on Fremont Street, but his spirit will live on.
"He was the best. You can't expand on that. The best says it all."
--Bob Stupak on Stu Ungar
One of the cruel ironies of human existence is that bountiful gifts are often given to those who cannot handle them. Beauty and money come immediately to mind, but talent in a particular discipline is often bestowed upon those who cannot maximize it to its greatest potential. Still others are unwittingly destroyed by some trait or characteristic that makes them exceptional. That's what makes an athlete like Michael Jordan so exceptional-seldom are awesome talent, desire, discipline and dedication found in the same package in such prodigious abundance. The mass of humanity often reaps the benefits of their talents despite their external flaws. Such was the case with poker great Stu Ungar, who was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas on November 22, 1998.
The Prophet's Live Journal:
For those unfamiliar with the big guns of high stakes poker, the only way to describe Ungar's abilities is a metaphorical comparison to sports. With a green felt table and a deck of cards involved, Ungar was 'Jordan-esque'. With Ungar, his greatest accomplishment was undoubtedly three World Series of Poker victories-a feat not unlike MJ's six NBA titles. Texas Hold-em poker, the game of choice for the cognoscenti, is a seemingly simple game that belies it's deceptive complexity. The successful player needs to be able to instantaneously plan strategy based on a number of ever shifting variables. Countless volumes have been written on the subject, but Ungar was able to perform complex analysis and strategy with amazing speed-almost instinctively. Between his three Binion's Worlds Series victories, and countless more informal victories and profitable poker room sessions, Ungar won millions of dollars playing poker.
The amazing subtext to Ungar's sheer mastery of Texas Hold'em was the fact that it was the third card game he had mastered. Ungar first came to Las Vegas as a gin rummy prodigy; he had beaten all of the good players on the East Coast and moved to the desert mecca in search of new opportunities. He had soon run the table of Nevada's gin players, and then turned to blackjack out of necessity. He was quickly barred as a card counter at a number of Southern Nevada casinos. Needing a new vocation, he took up poker.
The problem, however, was that as masterful as Ungar was at life in the poker room, he was profoundly inept at existence beyond the casino walls. He fought a number of addictions-most notably to drugs and sports gambling. Following his WSOP victory in 1997, the 1998 tourney found him broke and almost wasted away from drug use. Though he had secured financial backing that would have enabled him to play, as the games began Ungar sat in the dark in his hotel room at Binion's unable to compose himself enough to appear.
Other stories of Ungar's troubled life away from the poker tables evoke the same theme: buying a new Mercedes with cash after a WSOP victory and driving it until it fell apart from lack of maintenance; signing mortgage papers as he played in the Dunes poker room; losing 1.5 million dollars betting on sports in the course of a weekend.
Sadly, Ungar's death came as a ray of hope had entered his life. Noted casino owner and longtime friend Bob Stupak had stepped in to help Ungar pay off his debts, clean up his life, and provide the stake money to enter the major poker tournaments. Ungar was found two days after the two had formalized the agreement in a contract. Ungar also left behind an ex-wife and a teenage daughter, who still live in Las Vegas. The official cause of death was listed as "coronary atherosclerosis" and a mixture of drugs including cocaine, methadone and Percodan were found in his system.
Most of the famous gamblers of Las Vegas legend-guys like Puggy Person and Doyle Brunson-- have been tough, larger than life individuals with a healthier than normal dose of self-preservation skills. In this respect, Ungar was an anomaly among gambling greats-he was physically frail and almost completely helpless away from the poker table. With a handful of cards and a pile of chips, however, he became a ruthless and indomitable warrior. His story is certainly not one that the modern day, publicity conscious Las Vegas will celebrate. He will be remembered, however, as part of the tradition that gives the city its unique character. From the mobsters that pioneered the city, to the Rat Pack that civilized it, to the corporations that cleaned it up, characters like Stu Ungar have provided the spice that makes Las Vegas America's 'Paris in the desert'. Ungar may never have a statue on Fremont Street, but his spirit will live on.
"He was the best. You can't expand on that. The best says it all."
--Bob Stupak on Stu Ungar
All the best poker players have the ability to think about money as just a tool to keep score. Stuey when he busted out did it very early because he had no regard for the value of money other than he needed it to stay in a game. While many people eye the cutoff to be in the money, guys like Ungar take advantage of that thinking and always work to win the tournament, not money.
Below is a short chronology of Stu Unger’s life:
1953 Is born in New York City to a bookmaker and bar code operator
1963 Wins his first gin rummy tournament in a Catskill Mountain Resort
1967 Becomes a professional gambler; his father dies
1968 Drops out of school when a well known bookie stakes Stu to the $500 buy-in in a big fin rummy tournament. He wins the $10,000 first prize without losing a hand
1976 Reaches Las Vegas without a penny in his pocket. Somehow he finds the money to enter a tournament. He wins it but other players become to fear his skills
1977 Bob Stupak, a former owner of Vegas World and designer of the Stratosphere Tower, steps into his life.
1980 Enters his first World Championship and wins it
1981 Wins the next year’s World Championship as well
1997 Enters WSOP tournament in Las Vegas. Although he hadn’t been in the frame for 7 years, he won it as well
1998 Bob Stupak offers to cancel his debts and signs him up for commissioned card play
1998 On November 22 Stu Unger found dead in a cheap hotel. A mixture of drugs and pain killers triggered a heart condition that killed him
wil.
1953 Is born in New York City to a bookmaker and bar code operator
1963 Wins his first gin rummy tournament in a Catskill Mountain Resort
1967 Becomes a professional gambler; his father dies
1968 Drops out of school when a well known bookie stakes Stu to the $500 buy-in in a big fin rummy tournament. He wins the $10,000 first prize without losing a hand
1976 Reaches Las Vegas without a penny in his pocket. Somehow he finds the money to enter a tournament. He wins it but other players become to fear his skills
1977 Bob Stupak, a former owner of Vegas World and designer of the Stratosphere Tower, steps into his life.
1980 Enters his first World Championship and wins it
1981 Wins the next year’s World Championship as well
1997 Enters WSOP tournament in Las Vegas. Although he hadn’t been in the frame for 7 years, he won it as well
1998 Bob Stupak offers to cancel his debts and signs him up for commissioned card play
1998 On November 22 Stu Unger found dead in a cheap hotel. A mixture of drugs and pain killers triggered a heart condition that killed him
wil.
To answer the original question, the things that made Stu Ungar a legend at the card table, were an uncanny ability to count cards combined with a very aggressive style of play.
Those poker players who have an unbelieveable instinct for sensing what cards you're holding are the most devastating to go up against, and since they know exactly how to bet/check/raise/call/bluff, you'll always be paying top dollar to see the hand that beats you.
Stu always seemed to know exactly what cards were left in the deck (even with multiple shoes), the casinos had to cut him off from blackjack almost immediately. They held no edge at all against his innate card-counting skills.
I love it everytime his name comes up. Everybody's got a story to tell about Stu, because he was such a crazed gambler.
The name of the movie, "Stuey" has benn changed to "High Roller" in an attempt to better market the film. So far no distributor has been found. High Roller
Goodnight, Stu Ungar, wherever you are...
Those poker players who have an unbelieveable instinct for sensing what cards you're holding are the most devastating to go up against, and since they know exactly how to bet/check/raise/call/bluff, you'll always be paying top dollar to see the hand that beats you.
Stu always seemed to know exactly what cards were left in the deck (even with multiple shoes), the casinos had to cut him off from blackjack almost immediately. They held no edge at all against his innate card-counting skills.
I love it everytime his name comes up. Everybody's got a story to tell about Stu, because he was such a crazed gambler.
The name of the movie, "Stuey" has benn changed to "High Roller" in an attempt to better market the film. So far no distributor has been found. High Roller
Goodnight, Stu Ungar, wherever you are...
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> posted June 08, 2004 03:18 PM
I seen him win a million dollars on a pick 6 in calif money was nothing but coupons <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>LOL. . .I didnt catch this the first time around. I was trying to proove to my dad I wasnt tottaly wasting my time making gambling my primary hobby and pointed to STU as an example and had sent him the link to this thread. I wound up reading the thread myself, and caught a chuckle out of that.
I seen him win a million dollars on a pick 6 in calif money was nothing but coupons <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>LOL. . .I didnt catch this the first time around. I was trying to proove to my dad I wasnt tottaly wasting my time making gambling my primary hobby and pointed to STU as an example and had sent him the link to this thread. I wound up reading the thread myself, and caught a chuckle out of that.
Stu had a photographic memory and was barred from playing cards at just about every place in town including mine.
He also had a lack of common sense and one story is he was given a car and drove it until it died out because he never knew to change the oil.
He also had demons that were difficult to overcome and were ultimately his demise.
Nontheless, Stuey remains one of the legendary gamblers of our era.
He also had a lack of common sense and one story is he was given a car and drove it until it died out because he never knew to change the oil.
He also had demons that were difficult to overcome and were ultimately his demise.
Nontheless, Stuey remains one of the legendary gamblers of our era.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Matt24:
http://www.highrollermovie.com
Movie about Stu
will be released soon in the US<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I met Stu a few times in the late eighties in Vegas. He was something to see. Always going 90 miles an hour.
I can't wait to see that movie!
Stu, we salute you.
http://www.highrollermovie.com
Movie about Stu
will be released soon in the US<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I met Stu a few times in the late eighties in Vegas. He was something to see. Always going 90 miles an hour.
I can't wait to see that movie!
Stu, we salute you.
