Poker Fair US

Stu Ungar: The Lost Legend

Stu Ungar's life was filled with irony. He was a true poker legend and has won 3 World Series Of Poker Championships.

Stu was a native of New York City. As a child, he had astonishing photographic memory and card playing talents. At 10, he was a gin rummy champ and after 5 years he was the best player there is in NYC. He won $ 10,000 at a local tourney in 1968. However, he spent most of his money betting at the Aqueduct Racetrack; the first sign of Stu's gambling addiction.

In 1976, Stu went to Las Vegas but he was banned immediately after counting cards at blackjack which led to the switching of casinos to multi-deck shoes. He, then, turned to poker instead. His first time at the WSOP made him an instant champion and what's astonishing is that it was his first time to play No-limit Hold'em.

In 1980, Stu became the youngest WSOP champion at age 24, and he was nicknamed "The Kid". The following year, he won at the WSOP again. He was the celebrated pro to have won three WSOP bracelets and a staggering over $ 2 million cash prize.

Throughout his career, Stu participated at 30 high-stakes poker tourneys and won 10 times. He was described as "The Best No-limit Player of All Time" because of his unmatched poker prowess. Sadly, Stu's addiction to gambling and drugs had wasted away his direction in life. Of all poker pros, he is the most capable of winning more than 5 championships in the WSOP. His playing style is aggressive and he's a high-risk taker for raising almost every pot making his opponents tremble.

Stu's gambling addiction led to his uncontrollable betting on anything. He lost millions of dollars on proposition bets. He got lucky at one point when he beat Larry Flynt at Heads-up Poker, earning him almost $ 5 million.

Drug abuse was Stu's other vice that eventually led him to huge debts; he lost most of his friends and distanced himself from his own family. In 1997, Stu won again at the WSOP earning him his 3rd bracelet; it was the greatest comeback in WSOP history. His close friend Billy Baxter staked him and they split the $ 1million. Stu won the 3rd time because he was inspired by his daughter whose picture was in his wallet the whole. But it was the last time for Stu. A year later, he was broke once again. He was about to defend his title but a few minutes before the game, he declined.

In 1998, at aged 42, Stu Ungar died of heart failure in a motel room in Las Vegas. But he chose to live the hard way; engaging on the worse vices there is that enthralled man beyond reason. Stu Ungar's life was cut short by his senseless, self-destructing lifestyle. He could have been the Michael Jordan of the pro poker circuit because that's how great he was.