Stu Unger Biography

Stu Ungar Biography
by Chad Holloway of Predictem.com

Stu Ungar was born on September 8, 1953 in Manhattan's Lower East Side. His father, a loan shark, ran a social club that doubled as a gaming establishment. It was during his early years that Ungar spent time in his father's club learning various games, especially gin rummy. In fact, Ungar's gin game became so superior that he was easily defeating opponents with years of experience and even won a local gin tournament when he was ten years old. When he was fifteen, Ungar's father passed away. In order to support his sister and mother, who was incapacitated due to an illness, Ungar decided to drop out of school to play gin full-time. He drifted around the New York gaming scene until he was eighteen and was befriended by Victor Romano, an alleged New York crime figure. Ungar, who often verbally criticized and berated his opponents, was supported and protected by Romano while profiting from gin.

In 1977, Ungar left New York to play gin in Las Vegas. Not one to hustle or slow play his opponents, Ungar's gin action soon dried up because of his skill and reputation as being unbeatable. Some casinos even asked Ungar to stop playing in their gin tournaments because other players would refuse to play if he did. Not only was Ungar considered the best, he knew he was the best: "Some day, I suppose it's possible for someone to be a better No Limit Hold'em player than me. I doubt it, but it could happen. But, I swear to you, I don't see how anyone could ever play gin better than me." Since Ungar couldn't find a decent gin game, he began seeking other high limit pursuits, which eventually led him to poker. A short time after learning the game, Ungar entered the 1980 World Series of Poker Main Event and took home the title after defeating Doyle Brunson heads-up. Because of his young looks, the press quickly dubbed him Stu "The Kid" Ungar. Many poker critics believed the new champion was arrogant, cocky, and undeserving, but were silenced the very next year when Ungar defended his title and became a two-time champion.

Ungar continued to excel in poker by winning Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker a record three times in 1983, 1988, and 1989; in fact, Ungar is the only person to win both the W.S.O.P. and the Super Bowl of Poker, winning both a remarkable three times! In 1997, Ungar's friend and fellow poker player, Billy Baxter, agreed to stake Ungar in the Main Event just moments before it began; in fact, he was the very last person on that year's official roster. Overcoming his personal demons, Ungar went on to win the championship for $1 million and was nicknamed "The Comeback Kid." He became the only player, besides Johnny Moss, to win three world championships. Ungar, who won an amazing ten major No Limit Hold'em championships events with a buy-in of at least $5,000 (of which he only played in about thirty) has five W.S.O.P. bracelets: 1980 Main Event ($365,000), 1981 Main Event ($375,000), 1981 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw ($95,000), 1983 $5,000 Seven Card Stud ($110,000), and 1997 Main Event ($1 million). He is considered one of the greatest poker players of all-time, though his legacy is often overshadowed by his personal life.

Ungar, who was a big gambler, spender, and tipper, went from broke, to millionaire, to broke at least four times. Ungar married his wife, Madeline, with whom he had a daughter, Stefanie. He also adopted Madeline's son, Richie, from her first marriage. Both Ungar and his wife were devastated by the suicide of Richie shortly after his high school prom. They eventually divorced in 1986. It was well known that Ungar abused cocaine, which he started to use after he was told by other poker players of its ability to keep someone up and energized for long periods of time. Before long, drugs consumed not only his money, but Ungar himself. During the 1990 W.S.O.P., Ungar, who had been staked by Billy Baxter, was found unconscious in his hotel room from a drug overdose on day three of the tournament, which left him incapacitated and unable to play the rest of the tournament. Amazingly, Ungar, who had such a large chip lead, still managed to take ninth place before being blinded out. After winning the 1997 world championship, Ungar blew his winnings on drugs and refused to enter the 1998 W.S.O.P. claiming it would be more embarrassing to enter than not showing up at all.

Ungar was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas on November 22, 1998 at the age of forty-two. The medical examiner determined he died of a heart condition brought on by years of drug abuse. The 2003 film High Roller: the Stu Ungar Story depicts the poker player's life. Ungar was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.

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