The primary reason why Mr. Ungar switched from gin rummy to poker was that Stu was a bit too good at it. So skilled in fact, that no one could stand up to him. Even the apparently professionals who were supposed to be the greatest at gin were devoured when they competed against Stu Ungar. One of these gin masters was Harry Stein, called, "Yonkie". Mr. Stein was handed such a humiliating beating at the hands of mr. ungar that he apparently stopped competing in it professionally and never showed up at a gin tournament.
Accordingly, with a reputation like that it was not long before everyone became weary of gambling against stu. He could not find any matches and in his desperation he started doing something no one had performed prior. Stu provided starting handicaps to potential opposing players with the hope that they might just compete against him if they believed they held an edge. He at will began from a disadvantageous position and one tale has it that he even competed against a constant cheater. Amid the game, he received a few words of wisdom that the absconder was at it once again but Stu Ungar assured that he was aware of the dishonestly and he would still come away with a win, which he did, of course.
The same trend followed Stu Ungar to Las Vegas. He won so much that the poker rooms started asking him not to compete in their casinos anymore. The explanation why was that other casino visitors would not sit at the table if he were seated.
Stu Ungar is recalled more for his achievements in holdem poker but he himself always insisted that he was much more skilled at gin rummy.
He beat Doyle Brunson in the WSOP in Nineteen Eighty and became the youngest world camp. Due to his looks that made him appear far younger than he really was, he was nicknamed, "The Kid".