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| The Strange Life Of Poker Legend Stu Ungar |
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| Written by Ross Everett |
| Wednesday, 23 December 2009 10:41 |
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One of the cruel ironies of human existence is that bountiful gifts are often given to those who cannot handle them. Beauty and money come immediately to mind, but talent in a particular discipline is often bestowed upon those who cannot maximize it to its greatest potential. Still others are unwittingly destroyed by some trait or characteristic that makes them exceptional. That's what makes an athlete like Michael Jordan so exceptional-seldom are awesome talent, desire, discipline and dedication found in the same package in such prodigious abundance. The mass of humanity often reaps the benefits of their talents despite their external flaws. Such was the case with poker great Stu Ungar, who was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas on November 22,'98. Ungar's skills at the poker table were like Mozart's at the piano. While countless volumes of poker strategy and theory have been written, Ungar's understanding of the game was downright instinctive. Ungar's greatest achievement was his three World Series of Poker victories, but he won millions in informal games and profitable card room sessions. The amazing thing about Ungar's sheer mastery of Texas Hold'em was the fact that it was the third card game he had mastered. Ungar first came to Las Vegas as a gin rummy prodigy; he had beaten all of the good players on the East Coast and moved to the desert mecca in search of new opportunities. He had soon run the table of Nevada's gin players, and then turned to blackjack out of necessity. He was quickly barred as a card counter at a number of Southern Nevada casinos. Needing a new vocation, he took up poker. The problem, however, was that as masterful as Ungar was at life in the poker room, he was profoundly inept at existence beyond the casino walls. He fought a number of addictions-most notably to drugs and sports gambling. Following his WSOP victory in'97, the'98 tourney found him broke and almost wasted away from drug use. Though he had secured financial backing that would have enabled him to play, as the games began Ungar sat in the dark in his hotel room at Binion's unable to compose himself enough to appear. Other stories of Ungar's troubled life away from the poker tables evoke the same theme: buying a new Mercedes with cash after a WSOP victory and driving it until it fell apart from lack of maintenance; signing mortgage papers as he played in the Dunes poker room; losing 1.5 million dollars betting on sports in the course of a weekend. Ungar's death came as something of a shock as he'd shown signs of cleaning up his act. Longtime friend Bob Stupak and helped pay off his debts and staked him in the major poker tournaments. Ungar was found dead two days after the two had drawn up a formal contract. Ungar also left behind an ex-wife and a teenage daughter, who still live in Las Vegas. Though the official cause of death was listed as a 'heart attack', there were a mixture of drugs found in his system including cocaine and methadone. While many legendary gamblers have been tough, larger than life individuals with a healthy dose of 'street smarts', Ungar was the diametric opposite. He was almost completely helpless away from the poker table. In the card room, he became an almost unbeatable warrior. While his death came years before the 'poker boom', his influence as a pioneer of the game is without question. About the Author: Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected sports betting expert. He is also a staff handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is in charge of setting NFL lines. He has written extensively on sports handicapping theory along with a wide range of other topics including fencing, boxing and dog training. Kindly provided by LJ-Marketing.dk You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
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