The Best No Limit Poker Player in the World: Stuart Ungar

Stuart Ungar was the only poker player who has actually won the main event at the World Series Of Poker three times by play. Johnny Moss won three times but once was by vote rather than by play. Stuart could have won many more times except for his addiction to cocaine and other drugs. Stuart Ungar died at the age of 46 of a heart attack with only $800 in his pocket. He was probably the best no limit poker player of all time.

A Young New Yorker, Stuart Ungar made a living playing gin Rummy. No one could beat him at that game, not world champions, not even cheaters. However, no one would play with him either. It was a sure way to lose a lot of money. Every big money player in the World knew it and his source of income dried up. He also played the ponies where his genius level IQ and photographic memory did little good and cost him all the money he won at Gin.

He moved to Las Vegas to enter the World Series Of Poker in 1980. He won the main event on his first try earning $365,000 and the honor of being the youngest man at the time to ever win this event. He won the same title the following year increasing his earnings by an additional $375,000. Stuart loved to play and started to use cocaine to keep him up in order to play longer hours. He was a driven man.

During another World Series Of Poker main event, he was ahead on the first day but a no show on the second day. He was found passed out in his room from a drug overdose. This was the beginning of a long downward spiral that kept him from winning even more tournaments than he did.

In 1997 he seemed to grasp his way out of the influence of drugs and went on to win his third World Series Of Poker Bracelet. Unfortunately, he went quickly back to drugs shortly after his million dollar and final win. A marriage and birth of a Daughter did not stabilize Stuart's life. In 1998 he was found dead from a heart attack at 46 years of age.

Stuart said there was no one who could beat him in poker other than himself. This was probably true. In the end his own demons killed him. There may never be another poker player the equal of Stuart Ungar when he was not on drugs. At least I believe this to be true.