06.22
Stu Unger: Poker Player
The basic reason for why Mr. Ungar switched from gin rummy to poker was that he was a tiny bit too good at it. So skilled was he, that no player possibly could stand up to him. Even the so-called champions who were meant to be the most favorable at gin were demolished when they faced Mr. Ungar. One such gin rummy professionals was Harry Stein, nicknamed, "Yonkie". Harry was handed such a humiliating blow at the hands of Stu Ungar that he allegedly stopped competing in it professionally and never resurfaced at a gin rummy tournament.
Accordingly, with a distinction like that it was not very long before gamblers became shy of competing against mr. ungar. He could not find any matches and in his agony he began doing something no one had attempted prior. He issued starting handicaps to likely opposing players in the high hopes that they may play against him if they thought they had an edge. He at will started from a negative arrangement and one story has it that stu even competed against a regular cheater. Mid match, he get a few words of wisdom that the cheater was at it again but Stu Ungar stated that he deduced of the chicanery and he would still win, which of course, he did.
The same trend followed Stu Ungar into sin city. He won so frequently that the poker rooms began requesting that he not to play on their casinos anymore. The reasoning behind it was that other poker room clientele would not be seated at the poker table if Stu was playing.
Stu Ungar is remembered more for his abilities in hold’em poker but he always said that he was far more accomplished at gin rummy.
He defeated Doyle Brunson in the WSOP in 1980 and became the youngest world champion. Because of his features that made him appear far younger than he actually was, he was nicknamed, "The Kid".