Stu Ungar is regarded by most to the very best NL Hold em Poker player ever.
The 3 time World Poker Champion was born in New York in 1953 and started playing poker before reaching his teens.
The young bettor started out playing gin and at the age of ten had won his initial gin tournament, while on holiday with his parents. By the time he turned 14 the little poker genius had become a pro and dropped out of school.
In ‘54 Stu entered the history books by succeeding 10 grand in a gin tournament without losing a single hand, a record which still appears in New York these days.
The fast talking wiz kid has been compared, in poker terms, to sporting greats like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Stu Ungar had a true talent for playing poker except in spite of his successes in Hold em poker, he favored wagering gin.
Stu once said that there might some day be a improved No Limit Texas hold’em gambler than him but he could not see how anyone could ever be a greater gin player.
In 1980 Stu was put on the world map as one of the very best Texas hold em Poker players in the entire world when he was crowned World Poker Champion for the very first time. Amazingly it was the 1st time he had entered the tournament.
The right after year he put aside any suggestions that it had been luck, by successfully defending his crown. And in ‘97 Stu set the record by succeeding his 3rd World poker championship.
Except this poker master also struggled with substance abuse and a year right after winning his third title Stu Ungar died in his hotel room. According to physicians, he had died from a cardiac event which was caused by his lifestyle.
Stu had started with absolutely nothing but his skill and natural talent for the casino game which made this poker great a millionaire many times over.