Missed Main Event 1990

Despite a significant addiction and failing health, Stu's mind remained sharp, and when Stu was able to function, he enjoyed tournaments and series all over Vegas. The year was 1990 when Stu, still reeling from the death of his stepson, decided to turn on the Main Event, which he sailed through without the slightest problem. At the end of Day 2, Stu bagged himself a massive chiplead and everyone believed they were about to witness an incredible 3rd title.

Unfortunately, none of that ended up happening as Stu didn't show up for Day 3 of play. The game started without him after a while of waiting, and well, his friends went looking for him. Stu was found overdosed and unconscious in his hotel room, an ambulance was called, and well, Stu was headed to the hospital. He didn't manage to finish the tournament, but his massive stack was still unblinded on the final day, and Stu ended up finishing ninth for $25,050.

The Main Event that year was won by Mansour Matloubi, but when Stu got his act together, he came up with an offer - he challenged the champion to heads-up play for $50,000. Matloubi agreed to the offer, and the next year the duel took place at the Four Queens Casino. The stubborn Stu was determined to prove that he was the best player in the world, and at the end of the heads-up, a hand was played that proved his incredible skills.

In the blinds $200/$400, Stu opens with a T with 9h, Matloubi defends, and the flop comes a 7 with 3h 3d. Matloubi checks and Stu bets almost 2x the pot for $6,000, Matloubi calls. The turn brought K c, which both players overchecked and the last card on the table was the river Q h. Matloubi opted to shove for $32,400 (into a pot of $15,200), at which Stu thought better of it and leaned over the table. With the words "You got 45 or 56, I'm calling," he indeed called with T-high, to which his open-mouthed opponent turned over 5d 4c.

Relationship to the money

Stu was exactly the type of person who didn't put any value on money. When he had it, he threw it around, and never skimped on his friends. One time he won over 1.5 million in a horse race and that very night he took all his friends to a strip club where he paid all night, everything he could. According to official records on hendonmob, Stu won $3.6-million in live tournaments, but estimates of all his games and activities suggest that he may have earned more than $30-million in gambling during his lifetime. Even so, his drugs and willingness to help everyone around him cost him a fortune, and often Stu had to borrow to live.

Despite such incredible sums, Stu didn't have a bank account (not even a passport), as he thought it was absolutely ridiculous that he had to put his money away somewhere that he couldn't then take it back at any time (ATMs didn't exist at the time). So Stu always paid for everything in cash, which he often had icily strewn around the hotel rooms he was staying in. Despite all the demons he had inside him, his friends remember him as the most generous and kind-hearted person they knew. In a casual discussion with his lawyer, he mentioned to him, in just a word, that he was going through a worse time now and contracts were not going very well. Without a word, Stu pulled $10,000 out of his pocket, and told him , "Take it when you can, you'll pay me back. If you don't pay me back, that's okay too".

Stu's personality and generosity

Ungar's friends often reminisce about what a unique personality Stu was. Despite his immense wealth, he never liked cars. He once bought a Mercedes that he drove around Vegas, but when it ran out of oil and stopped running, he returned it saying , "Why didn't you tell me you put oil in the car?" and he's been driving cabs ever since. Mike Sexton said of him that Stu spent more on taxis than the average person earns in a year.

Stu's eating habits were just as strange - Stu saw food as a hindrance to his playing. So he often called restaurants to make sure everything was ready on the table when he and his friends arrived. He never worried about who ordered what or how much it cost - he'd arrive at the restaurant, literally pile everything in quickly, throw the money and a fat tip on the table, and scurry away. He didn't mind at all that his friends barely had a toast and an appetizer....

An untimely end

The incredible heads-up with Matloubi, in hindsight, looks like this genius' last attempt to make history. Since then, things have gone even further downhill for Stu, and although he played a few smaller WSOP events in 1991, his condition and debts prevented him from playing the Main Event. Any money Stu earned was quickly spent, whether on betting or on his favorite horse races. As the years went by, Stu withdrew more and more from public life, and everyone was sure that the star named The Kid had faded for good. However, this unique phenomenon had one more ace up his sleeve......

Stu Ungar: The Controversial Genius Who Had No Competition in the Poker World (Part 2)

Stu Ungar: The Controversial Genius Who Had No Competition in the Poker World (Part 1)

Source - Wikipedia, One of a Kind book, PokerNews, VegasSlotsOnline, YouTube