Article Directory
Free Online Article Directory. For Article Authors & Publishers

Las Vegas Poker Superstar Stu Ungar

Too often amazing talents are given to those people who are not able to handle them. Such was the case of poker legend Stu Ungar, who had skills at the card table unrivaled in history. Unfortunately, his ineptitude at every day life and self destructive behavior was equally legendary. Ungar would eventually succumb to his demons, and was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas in late'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 cruel irony of Ungar's life, however, was that masterful as he was at the poker table he was equally as inept at life beyond the casino walls. He was addicted to drugs for most of his life, and gambled away millions betting on sports and golf (a game he played despite being horrible at it). After his WSOP win in'97, he was nearly broke and wasted away from drug use by the time the'98 tournament rolled around. Vegas casino owner Bob Stupak bankrolled him, but as the games began Ungar cowered in his darkened hotel suite at Binion's unable to pull himself together enough to play.

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.

Many of the famous gamblers of Las Vegas legend such as Puggy Person and Doyle Brunson have been tough, larger than life individuals with a healthier than normal dose of self-preservation skills. In this respect, Ungar was an anomaly among gambling greats-he was physically frail and almost completely helpless away from the poker table. At the table, however, he became an almost unbeatable adversary. His story is certainly not one that the modern day, publicity conscious Las Vegas will celebrate. He will be remembered, however, as part of the tradition that gives the city its unique character. From the mobsters that pioneered the city, to the Rat Pack that civilized it, to the corporations that cleaned it up, characters like Stu Ungar have provided Las Vegas with its unique character.

Author Resource:- Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Submitted 2010-01-15 11:04:04
By: Ross Everett 29 or more times read
Article Read 42 Times
Article From
Article Listed
[Valid RSS feed]  Ross Everett's Author Feed
http://www.articlelisted.com/author-rss-feed.php?rss=1974
[Valid RSS feed]  Category Rss Feed
http://www.articlelisted.com/rss.php?rss=213

Related Articles

  • Visit The Amazing Las Vegas Zoo For A Low Key Adventure


    If you have a business occasion under consideration you most likely know that you will need a locale tailored for offering you the best choices to give your participants a great time. The wonder of Las Vegas is that it can also be a destination where couples and even families can have a great time together. This city has a lot to offer you nowadays, so let's have a glance at just what the glittering gem of the American desert is providing.
  • Choosing Slot Games at Bingo Sites


    In addition to regular bingo games, slots are becoming a popular added-extra on bingo sites, with new titles popping up on a regular basis. Many players have found slots to be a perfect way to fill in the time between bingo games. But just as there is a wealth of sites to choose from, there is also a wide range slots that will appeal to different types of players. So where do you start off?
  • Online Bingo Bringing People Together


    With the state of the economy today most people can no longer afford to go out for a drink or a meal with their friends
  • Cow Pie Bingo – A Country Twist on an Old Favorite


    If you have never heard of cow pie bingo, you are missing out on one of the true adventures of living in the country.
  • A Review of Lucy Hammett’s Horse Bingo


    Horse Bingo includes six picture boards (the size of copy paper, large for a bingo game), forty-two calling cards, and forty-two marker chips.
  • Boosting Success Potential with Poker Bonuses


    Have you ever visited on-line gaming sites and looked around the poker bonuses and wondered if the presents have been also beneficial to become legitimate? Individuals that have can come to feel moderately assured in their skepticism. No one likes to fall to get a deal that's just as well good to become genuine. With poker bonuses, you need not be as well regarded as with all the legitimacy of your bonus offered you're exploring bonuses presented by excessive good quality online gaming venues. Such venues understand there is really somewhat of competition available. For this reason they're going to offer you poker bonuses as a way to draw in individuals which can be seeking a spot to attempt their luck with on the internet poker.
  • Online Poker – A Look at Its Advantages


    Although the game is still pretty much the same, the poker playing experience has evolved significantly over time, especially along with the advent of the internet and the emergence of so many poker-playing dedicated portals
  • Live Sport Betting – A Short Analysis


    The sport betting industry has evolved a lot lately, and the way things are going at present, it will very likely continue to progress and expand into the market for many years to come
  • Betting the Super Bowl – An Overview


    Standing out as the biggest and most important NFL clash of the year, the Super Bowl is that kind of event that always takes the spotlight and draws keen interest from millions of football fans from all over the world
  • Australian Football League Odds and Tips – A Winning Bet!


    When you’re ready to place a bet on a match, there’s no better way than using the AFL betting web page with the top odds and tips available, to make your wager.

HTML Ready Article. Click on the "Copy" button to copy into your clipboard.




Firefox users please select/copy/paste as usual
Actions
Print This Article
Add To Favorites


Navigation
select
Home
select
Sign up
select
Login
select
Submit Articles
select
Submission Guidelines
select
learn more
select
Top Articles
select
About Us
select
Contact Us
select
Privacy Policy
select
RSS Feeds
   
Submit Your Articles To Our Other Article Directory
Morefreeinformation.com