Stu Unger - the scandalous star of professional poker

Stu Unger - the scandalous star of professional poker

“No one can beat me in a game of cards. The only one who has ever beaten me is myself." Have you heard this phrase? Have you heard of Stu Unger? Over the years, the so-called Kid has built his reputation as one of the most intriguing professional poker players. Intriguing at the table, but even more exciting away from it. The only one other than Johnny Moss with 3 World Series of Poker Main Event wins. Unger triumphed in 1980, 1981 and 1997. He is the holder of a total of 5 hryvnias from the SPC. Sadly he passed away in 1998 when he was only 45 years old. And he left a big gap in the world of poker…

His life path was largely shaped by the fate of his father. Unger Sr. owns a bar in New York and earns his extra income from illegal loan sharking. At an early age, Stu started playing card games. At the age of 10, he won a gin rummy tournament. At 15, however, he lost his father and had to take care of his mother, who had recently suffered a heart attack. Before coming of age, he already earns serious income from illegal bets.

Financially he lives great, but mentally he needs a change. He moved first to Miami and then to Las Vegas. There he meets poker, as casinos ask him not to participate in gin rummy tournaments. He's so good that people refuse to play against him. In 1980, Unger entered his first World Series of Poker tournament and the second overall of his career. He defeated 73 people, and his final opponent was the legendary Doyle Brunson, to put it mildly. Stu beats him and takes home $365,000. The ever-young, sensationally good player becomes the youngest Main Event winner. A record that was later improved several times.

Unfortunately, in an effort to become an even better player, he turns to drugs. Some of his relatives insist that with the help of cocaine, he will maintain concentration for a longer period of time and will tire more slowly. Of course, over the years, his assistant becomes an addictive problem. On November 22, 1998 (a.k.a. just a year after his last CPS Main Event triumph), he was found dead in his motel room. The war on drugs is lost.

Years later, the book "One of a kind" by Nolan Dalla proves the general opinion - the world has lost one of its most interesting personalities. With a genius photographic memory, love of gambling, always taking risks and loving his family. Stu Unger!

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