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Stu Ungar is known as the greatest poker player of all times and a legend in his own right. His professional career is one which one does not come across too often and even though his life ended on the note of debt and drugs, he would always be considered as a star in the world of poker.

Background

Stu Ungar was born in New York in the year 1953 and he belonged to a gambling family. At the age of ten he won a rummy tournament and by 23 he was already a good card player. He took on gin rummy full time in order to support his family after the death of his father and even though his earnings were quite substantial, his debts were even more so. He moved to Miami and then to Vegas where he took up poker. He met his wife in Las Vegas.

There are several bizarre stories about Stu Ungar. It is said that he was able to beat even the most skilled cheaters at card games. He was able to break down the best gin player in the country and it is said that he had an amazing memory. He used to give his opponents many advantages before he would crush them all and was very well aware of his own abilities. He considered himself to be a first class poker player and an even better gin rummy player.

Professional Career

In the year 1980 Stu participated in the WSOP event. He was called the kid in the tournament circuit since he had young looks. The bets had all been against him but he knew his game well. He won the gold bracelet at the main event but that was not all. What was even more surprising was that he managed to win a heads up against Doyle Brunson, a poker veteran. The next year he participated again and won. However, around the same time his son committed suicide and Stu then fell into the grip of cocaine in order to concentrate better on poker.

It all grew into a big addiction and in the year 1990 during the main event of WSOP Stu was found in his hotel room unconscious. He was deep in debt and had a major addiction by then. However, he still managed to finish in the FullTiltPoker.net 9th place. His addiction kept on growing and by 1997 it was well known that he had lost all of his skills but he still decided to participate in the WSOP with borrowed funds. Once more, he won the main event and impressed all. His friends and family supported him but his health was deteriorating. That was his last ever WSOP win since in the year 1998 he was found in his room in a motel in Vegas dead due to a heart malfunction. All of his winnings were lost by then and all that remained for him was the title “the greatest poker player of all times”.