Stu Ungar is thought to be by many to the greatest NL Hold em Poker player ever.
The three time World Poker Champ was born in New York in 1953 and began wagering poker before reaching his teens.
The young gambler started out wagering gin and at the age of ten had won his first gin tournament, while on holiday with his mother and father. By the time he turned fourteen the small poker genius had become a pro and dropped out of school.
In 1954 Stu entered the history books by succeeding ten thousand dollars in a gin rummy tournament without dropping a single hand, a record which still appears in New York these days.
The fast talking superstar has been likened, in poker terms, to athletic superstars like Joe Namath and Kobe Bryant. Stu Ungar had a genuine skill for wagering poker except in spite of his successes in Texas hold em poker, he favored playing gin.
Stu once said that there might some day be a far better NL Holdem gambler than him except he could not see how anyone could ever be a much better gin gambler.
In ‘80 Stu Ungar was put on the global map as one of the greatest Hold’em Poker players in the planet when he was crowned World Poker Champ for the first time. Extraordinarily it was the very first time he had entered the tournament.
The subsequent year he dismissed any suggestions that it had been luck, by effectively protecting his crown. And in 1997 Stu set the record by winning his 3rd World poker championship.
But this poker master also fought with substance abuse and a year following succeeding his 3rd title Stu died in his hotel room. According to doctors, he had died from a heart attack which was triggered by his lifestyle.
Stu had started out with absolutely nothing but his ability and natural talent for the casino game which made this poker excellent a millionaire quite a few times over.