Player Profile

Born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Stu Ungar would be exposed to gambling early in life as his father ran a social club that doubled as a gambling establishment.

A young prodigy rumored to have a genius IQ and photographic memory, Ungar made a name for himself in underground gin rummy games around New York before he was even old enough to vote.

Excelling at gin to the point where he had dried up all competition, Ungar transitioned to poker and entered his first Texas Hold’em tournament by playing the 1980 WSOP Main Event.

Despite having never played Hold’em, Ungar quickly picked it up as the tournament progressed, with Doyle Brunson famously commenting how it was the first time he saw a player improve so quickly throughout a tournament.

Defeating Brunson heads-up in the 1980 WSOP Main Event and going back-to-back winning the event again the very next year, Ungar became one of only four players to pull off the feat, and forever cemented himself as one of the best to ever pick up a deck of cards.

Winning five WSOP bracelets throughout his career, Ungar’s most famous victory came in the 1997 WSOP Main Event, when he won his third Main Event title to complete his comeback to poker.

In 1998, Ungar would tragically pass away following years of his battle with addiction. Although gone far too soon, Ungar’s achievements on the felt built a lasting legacy, with many considering him to be the greatest poker player of all time.