Poker

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The basic basis for why Stu switched from gin to poker was that Stu was a bit too good at it. So skilled in fact, that no player could equal him. Even the so-called champions who were meant to be the most favorable at gin were beat when they faced Stu. One of these gin professionals was Harry Stein, nicknamed, "Yonkie". Harry Stein was handed such a humiliating beating at the hands of stu that he apparently quit participating in it as a pro and never resurfaced at a gin rummy tournament.

Certainly, with a notoriety like that it was not long before players became shy of competing against stu. He could not find any games and in his bleakness he began doing something no one had performed prior. He offered beginning handicaps to potential competitors in the hope that they may play with him if they believed they had an edge. He deliberately played from a negative arrangement and one tale has it that stu even played against a constant absconder. Amid the game, he get advice that the absconder was at it once more but stu guaranteed that he was aware of the cheating and he would still actually win, which of course, he did.

The same problem 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 reason for it was that other casino clientele refused to sit at the table if Stu was seated.

Stu Ungar is remembered better for his accomplishments in hold’em poker but he always said that he was much more skilled at gin rummy.

He beat Doyle Brunson in the World Series of Poker in 1980 to become the youngest world champion. Because of his features that made him appear far younger than he really was, he was nicknamed, "The Kid".