A boy with a phenomenal memory

Skilled poker players probably familiar with not only the name of Stu Ungar, Legend gambling world, but also the story of his life. Let not in detail. But the tragic fate of the circuit card genius is familiar to many. Still would! He is spoken of only as a child prodigy of poker, undefeated player in No Limit Hold'em, the darling of fortune ... Alas, his life was cut short early and preposterous - the master of cards could not cope with the craving for drugs, even though what is at stake has been put it marital happiness, but it is much more important than any monetary gain ...



GIN Roumi
Stu Ungar Errol was born in New York in 1953 in a Jewish family. His father, Isadore Ungar was a local shark cash loans atakzhe owner of the club «Foxes Corner». In fact it was a bar where people meet in the evening at the gaming tables. Father not too pleased that his son has taken an active interest in gambling, but all his attempts to prevent the formation of the card Stu could not succeed son watched his father's loyal customers of the bar, and soon he began to play cards for money. And so great, what about the boy talked about as a child prodigy card!

At age 10, Stu Ungar won his first major tournament - the New York tournament gin and Rumi, one of the card games. He easily beat adults and fairly experienced players and won his first 10 thousand dollars. And for fifteen years, Stu was already considered one of the best in New York, the players in gin.

By this time the family Ungar was the mountain - a heart attack his father died, and livelihoods family with two children was not enough. To all the miseries Stu's mother became very ill. Stu, believing themselves the sole breadwinner, dropped out of school to earn money gaming cards. He played them anytime and anywhere, as if it was his job. In the end, it was his talent and helped his mother and sister live, without denying yourself in simple pleasures.

Gambling Ungar brought life to one of the criminal authorities in New York - Victor Romano, rather a major figure in the world of organized crime. Romano had a phenomenal memory, and for the years spent in prison, learned four languages, including Latin. But his main talent was skill on the part of almost all known at the time of card games. All of their specific knowledge he passed the young Ungar, with whom they have established such a close relationship, which are only between father and son.

Stu Ungar whether because of the nature, whether by reason of youth, was pretty cocky. He became famous for his scandalous remarks against opponents who played less himself. Or maybe he allowed to behave this way, feeling the protection of Victor Romano. Indeed, no one has touched genius gambler, and those who in a fit of rage tried to raise his hand to Stu, by a strange coincidence, or disappeared soon found themselves shot dead ...

But ultimately Stu had to leave New York. And because of the debt, and because of the local showdowns. But the main reason was that reputation as an invincible player Ungar gin served him a disservice: who will sit down with the player at the card table, knowing that he would lose all his money! In one case, when a call Ungar threw himself Harry Stein, a local champion gin. So for one night Ungar won it 86 times in a row! Said Harry then retired from professional gin and even got more for cards ... Even deliberate giveaway by Ungar (such as "accidentally" show their cards) did not allow the opponents to beat him. In short, to do in New York, there was nothing, and Stu went to Miami, and then - in Las Vegas. This happened in 1977.



While tournaments gin were no less popular than poker tournaments. Stu was in his element, taking all the prizes, which he could pick up. Thank undefeated player in the gin made some casino owners simply refuse to Stu Ungar in visiting their establishments! Players getting to know his name, immediately got up from the table and went, and those who had hoped to win much regretted his decision to continue with Ungar. Stu himself in his interviews he said that he liked to observe the behavior of competitors during the game: to see how their faces changed from bold to desperate.

And Ungar emphasized that in spite of the fact that history will remember him as an outstanding poker player, he considers himself the best player in the gin-Rumi. "Maybe one day I and become one of the best players in the No Limit Hold'em. Of course, I doubt that this would happen, but who knows. However, what I swear, it's that I never met a man who would play gin-Rumi better than me »...

POKER
And in 1980 Ungar broke into the poker history with this fantastic success, which had a long talk, even far beyond the gaming world. Stu won the WSOP - World Series of Poker, the most prestigious series of poker tournaments in the world! And not just won, and won himself Doyle Brunson, poker icons! And not just beat Doyle Brunson, and won for the first time ... sitting at the poker table! True, he admits later, in 1997, in an interview with TV channel Geyblu Kaplan ESPN TV. Immediately after the game he did not dare admit it, probably before the end he could not believe such luck. The audience was enough and that, in 1980, Stu Ungar, winner Doyle Brunson, also became the youngest champion and World Series of Poker. (A title he held until 1989, when the youngest was the Phil Hellmuth, well, Phil, in turn, managed to stay in the record-holder until 2008 - to win Peter Eastgate).

Surprisingly, this is true: WSOP 1980 Stu Ungar in his life was the first experience of playing Texas Hold'em. And next to the WSOP 1981, the year Stu confirmed his title by defeating Perry Green in the final and won his first million.

Alas, a man with a phenomenal memory, IQ and innate genius card talent mediocre ruined my life drugs. Glory, universal admiration, it is easy to get money and ineradicable passion to passion soon led to his acquaintance with them. Over the next sixteen years, Stu Ungar had two passions - drugs and poker. Moreover, in this order: the drugs in the first place. He still played phenomenally, but spend their winnings on cocaine, Percodan, methadone and other drugs.

Because of his addiction, he lost his family: soon his wife left him Madeline, taking with him a daughter Stephanie. In his memoirs, Ungar admitted that he did not think that the drugs so much tightened it, the first time on the advice of colleagues "the shop" tried cocaine for the maintenance of courage during the game.

Problems with the drug grew to such a degree that in 1990 during a WSOP main event Ungar found unconscious on the floor of his hotel room. He had an overdose. Finish the tournament until the end, he could not, but his chip lead was so great that he took ninth place and won twenty-five hundred dollars. Which he again spent on drugs ...

Friends and rivals did not believe that Stu Ungar, leading this way of life, will live up to its 40 years. Some of his close friends said in an interview that the only joy and Stu stimulus to life was the idea that he had a daughter. But neither the thought nor the entreaties of friends could not get Ungar undergo treatment for drug users. His unwillingness, but rather, he justified his own weakness that in the clinics on the contrary more opportunities to get drugs than on the street. And so the effect of the treatment will be.

... Hardly anyone expected the return of the great "baby" (namely, a nickname had Ungar thanks to his infantile appearance and early talent), but in 1997 was no less significant event than in 1980: Stu won again the World Series poker and again set a record. This time - a record three times world championship. In the history of poker there are only two who managed to win three Main Event WSOP, - Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss (besides the first WSOP event winner was determined by popular vote, rather than the actual victory).

By that time, Ungar had ceased to believe even the best of friends, before many of them Stu was a big money debt, and nobody wanted to borrow money to former millionaire, knowing what he is their rush to spend ... And only out of pity, Billy Baxter, too good poker player and friend Ungar, succumbed to the entreaties and Stu gave ten thousand dollars to participate in the World Series of Poker that year. But under the condition that Stu will be able to win back the money, and the prize will be divided between the two. Ungar had to apply for participation in the tournament in the last seconds before the closing statements of the players. In this list, it is a historic and listed - the last ...

On the first day of the game, he fell asleep at the table, behind which sat and Michael Sexton. After hearing from Stu doubts about winning this tournament, Sexton encourage him as he could. In the end, he called Baxter, whose criticisms had a greater impact on Stu and helped him gather. Day by day he played better again gaining the sympathy of the bookies and eventually - won a million dollars. During this legendary tournament Ungar wore round glasses with blue lenses, which have become famous, and will forever remain in the memory of the players as a constant attribute of the card prodigy.

Ungar held the tournament in front of a photograph his daughter, and ESPN in an interview said he dedicates his victory ... Stephanie VEGAS media editorials screaming with the incredible return of "Baby" Sixteen years later, the life of a drug. Many even expressed hope for a miraculous healing Ungar from cocaine addiction after such a triumph! Cocaine brought Ungar before, that he had to do double surgery to repair the nasal membranes ... But, alas, in vain. Life in a drugged stupor was not over. Even requests daughter could not win relationship. The best that Ungar was able to - give up drugs for a couple of weeks.

Just a few months later the whole Ungar your winning half a million on drugs and sports betting. And in 1998, when Baxter again paid a ticket to participate in the world tournament, just 10 minutes before the start of the games, Ungar refused, citing fatigue and a greater reluctance to sit down at the poker table.



Stu Ungar soon disappeared from public view. He lived in different hotels, almost without leaving his room. Several times he was seen in the poker rooms that ask money for drugs. He was arrested for drug possession, he finally turned away from all my friends. A November 22, 1998 he was found dead in one of the Vegas motels. When it was found 882 dollars left over from the ten thousand dollars he received as a deposit from Bob Stupak, who offered to pay off all debts Ungar and pay a fee for taking part in the next tournament in exchange for future gains. It is still unknown where disappeared money Stupak, but is believed to Michael Kaplan and Greg Reagan, author of "Aces and Kings» («Aces and Kings»), referring to the word "anonymous friend" Ungar in his last day, he bought a lot of crack (in recent years, he has not physically able to sniff cocaine - tissue of the nose were completely damaged, so he switched to smoking crack), and took two of prostitutes hanging around outside the motel. As soon as they learned about how much money the client keeps to himself, they conspired to promote smoking to his convulsive seizures. Leaving him to die, they disappeared with the money and drugs.

Stripping, however, showed that despite the fact that the body Ungar were traces of drugs, their concentration was not enough to cause death. Stu Ungar died of heart failure caused by, of course, long-term drug abuse.

Ungar died totally bankrupt, although life so generously handing him the chance to be a millionaire. Funeral expenses took the last one Ungar in his lifetime - Bob Stupak ... In 2001, Stu Ungar Errol was posthumously received the Hall of Fame.

Fate-tragedy so great a genius could not attract the attention of Hollywood screenwriters. In 2003, Stu Ungar was a filmed "The Gambler» («High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story»), in which the main role played by Michael Imperiolli ("The Sopranos"). I must say that the film may disappoint prepared viewer knows at least what looked like Stu Ungar. Something in the film is exaggerated, something unsaid, and what-if not invented.

However, many stories about the life of the card prodigy now overgrown with rumors and speculation, as the bottom of an old ship shells, but everyone who ever met with Stu Ungar, in one voice say, not only about his amazing talent to win money, but also the stunning to distribute their bounty. He was a favorite taxi drivers and waiters, hairdressers and cleaners room. If he had money, he easily gave them to those who were particularly necessary. Doyle Brunson recalls that one day they walked along the street with Stu and approached them a stranger asking for a little money. Stu immediately gave him $ 100. "You know him, Stu?" - Asked the surprised Brunson. What Ungar replied: "No. But if I knew him, I would give him a hundred dollars. " Michael Sexton recalls that when Stu invite their friends to the restaurant, it was calculated for all, even though, as far as could be expensive meals and drinks.

... Throughout his life, he won more than 32 million dollars. But no amount of money can not buy true happiness. Stu Ungar proved it. In fact, the story of his life is a very sad chapter in the history of professional poker ...