by DB Kooper

Created on: November 25, 2008   Last Updated: March 19, 2011

Once in a while history produces a living comet,a fireball.They burn bright,amaze and inspire others then flame out leaving a legend and a legacy behind.Stu "The Kid" Ungar was one of those comets.

Born on September 8, 1953,he grew up in Manhattan's lower east side.His father was a loanshark that ran a tavern/gambling club and from a young age Stu was around the "game".He started playing gin-rummy tournaments and it wasn't long before he was known for his skills.

His father,"Ido",passed away in 1968 and his mother went into a long illness shortly after.Stu began playing big money gin tournaments and supported his mother and sister with sometimes large winnings.In the mid 1970's he was regarded as one of the best gin-rummy players in New York City.By 1977 he had moved to Las Vegas and eventually switched to poker due to his lethal gin reputation.Casinos back then held gin tournaments but several requested he not play becouse few other opponents would play him.Stu had a style of play as well as an arrogance about him that was intimidating as he would berate an opponent for bad play as he destroyed them at the table.

In 1980,at 27 years old Stu entered the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and defeated Texas Holdem master Doyle Brunson in the main event to become the youngest player ever to win it.The following year he won it again quelching any doubts of beginners luck.His genius level IQ didn't hurt either.Stu also not surprisingly,was an expert at blackjack as he could count cards easily and eventually was banned at most casinos in Las Vegas.

In 1986 he had divorced his wife,Madeline and eventually began years of drug use.Cocaine helped him stay alert through long hours of poker but led to addiction.In 1990 during the World Series of Poker,he was found unconscious due to a drug overdose.Absent from the table,his chip stack was so vast he still finished in 9th place and won over $20,000.He was on a cycle of win,gamble,spend on drugs,and was a millionare and broke 4 different times during his troubled life.

In 1997,after borrowing the $10k buy-in for the World Series of Poker main event Stu Unger looked like a shell of himself.He pulled himself together and won it a record 3rd time making poker history.He eventually lost his prize money through horse betting and drugs.He did not enter the 1998 WSOP event due to overall poor health and the toll of drug abuse.He was arrested for possesion of drugs and his close friends were worried the end was near.

Stu Ungar was found dead in his motel room on November 22, 1998.A heart condition brought on by many years of drug use was found by the coroner to be the cause.Stu died with no real assets after winning over 30 million in his career.

During his WSOP tournies alone he won 5 WSOP bracelets and more than $2,000,000.He also won Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker in 1983, 1988 and 1989.

High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story,a movie based on his life came out in 2003 and he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2001.

Stu had a saying, "I never want to be called a good loser.Show me a good loser and I'll just show you a loser."

Stu Unger was a comet, and in today's poker world he still hasn't faded out completely.

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