Monday
Thursday
New opportunities for the successfull online pro...
As you know, the events of the past several months has made it infinitely difficult for the American pro to make a living online. If you are a winner in this game and in life, you also know that there are three requirements to becoming a long term winner at ANY kind of betting game, namely:
# 1. Have a positive EV.
# 2. Have an adequate understanding of the variance, probability of ruin, and bankroll requirements for the particular game and stakes that you are playing.
# 3. Have the passion and persistence to apply your edge/+EV on a consistent basis, and the discipline to play within your bankroll regardless of how well you are doing in the short term.
If you can make it in poker, which a famous book has referred to as "the biggest game in town", I cannot see why you cannot also make it in "the biggest game in the world" .
Disclaimer : Do not click on the link that has been provided above if you have been a consistent loser in "the biggest game in town". Chances are you would probably be a loser in this new game too.
# 1. Have a positive EV.
# 2. Have an adequate understanding of the variance, probability of ruin, and bankroll requirements for the particular game and stakes that you are playing.
# 3. Have the passion and persistence to apply your edge/+EV on a consistent basis, and the discipline to play within your bankroll regardless of how well you are doing in the short term.
If you can make it in poker, which a famous book has referred to as "the biggest game in town", I cannot see why you cannot also make it in "the biggest game in the world" .
Disclaimer : Do not click on the link that has been provided above if you have been a consistent loser in "the biggest game in town". Chances are you would probably be a loser in this new game too.
Wednesday
Stu Ungar's Tournament Record
First Place Finishes:
1997 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
World Series of Poker $ 1,000,000
1991 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em
Queens Poker Classic $ 190,000
1989 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super Bowl of Poker
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 205,000
1988 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 210,000
1987 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
America's Cup Of Poker 1987 $ 150,000
1984 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 275,000
1984 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
America's Cup Of Poker $ 150,000
1983 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
14th World Series of Poker $ 110,000
1981 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
12th World Series of Poker $ 375,000
1981 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw
12th World Series of Poker $ 95,000
1980 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
11th World Series of Poker $ 365,000
Stuey was known to have played in 30 highly competitive poker tournaments in which the buy-in was $5k or higher. As you can see, he won at least ten of them. This is an unprecendented achievement. No one in the history of the game comes close to having this kind of batting average in big buy in poker tournaments.
Other Finishes:
1995 $300 Pot Limit Hold'em
Queens Poker Classic Summer Edition 3rd $ 6,948
1991 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud
22nd World Series of Poker 9th $ 4,988
1991 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em
22nd World Series of Poker 13th $ 5,200
1990 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
21st World Series of Poker 9th $ 25,050
1990 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em
21st World Series of Poker 15th $ 6,500
1990 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker 3rd $ 48,000
1987 $1,500 Limit Hold'em
18th World Series of Poker 22nd $ 1,500
1986 $1,500 7 Card Stud
17th World Series of Poker 8th $ 6,000
1986 $1,500 Limit Hold'em
17th World Series of Poker 10th $ 3,000
1986 $5,000 No Limit Ace to 5 Draw
17th World Series of Poker 7th $ 11,800
1983 $1,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
14th World Series of Poker 2nd $ 24,800
1980 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
11th World Series of Poker 2nd $45,000
1997 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
World Series of Poker $ 1,000,000
1991 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em
Queens Poker Classic $ 190,000
1989 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super Bowl of Poker
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 205,000
1988 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 210,000
1987 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
America's Cup Of Poker 1987 $ 150,000
1984 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker $ 275,000
1984 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
America's Cup Of Poker $ 150,000
1983 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
14th World Series of Poker $ 110,000
1981 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
12th World Series of Poker $ 375,000
1981 $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw
12th World Series of Poker $ 95,000
1980 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
11th World Series of Poker $ 365,000
Stuey was known to have played in 30 highly competitive poker tournaments in which the buy-in was $5k or higher. As you can see, he won at least ten of them. This is an unprecendented achievement. No one in the history of the game comes close to having this kind of batting average in big buy in poker tournaments.
Other Finishes:
1995 $300 Pot Limit Hold'em
Queens Poker Classic Summer Edition 3rd $ 6,948
1991 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud
22nd World Series of Poker 9th $ 4,988
1991 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em
22nd World Series of Poker 13th $ 5,200
1990 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
21st World Series of Poker 9th $ 25,050
1990 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em
21st World Series of Poker 15th $ 6,500
1990 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em
Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker 3rd $ 48,000
1987 $1,500 Limit Hold'em
18th World Series of Poker 22nd $ 1,500
1986 $1,500 7 Card Stud
17th World Series of Poker 8th $ 6,000
1986 $1,500 Limit Hold'em
17th World Series of Poker 10th $ 3,000
1986 $5,000 No Limit Ace to 5 Draw
17th World Series of Poker 7th $ 11,800
1983 $1,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
14th World Series of Poker 2nd $ 24,800
1980 $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
11th World Series of Poker 2nd $45,000
Monday
A Brief Biography of Stu "the Kid" Ungar
Stuart Errol Ungar, also known as “Kid Ice” or simply “the Kid” was born in New York in 1953 and died in Las Vegas in 1998. Gambling was a big part of the childhood environment that made him a devastating winner in poker because his father, who died of a heart attack when he was still in his teens, was known to be a bookie who also owned a bar in which there was a lot of gambling going on. Legend has it that Stu lost his $90,000 inheritance at the track within a week after his father’s death.
Another big influence in Stu Ungar’s early life was a man named Victor Romano who was alleged to have had ties with the Genovese family. Like Ungar, he had a very good memory. In fact, he was observed to have been able to recite and define any word in the dictionary. The two became very close and Victor essentially became a new father figure to Stu. It was Romano who staked Stuey in some very high stakes Gin Rummy games in New York, Miami, and eventually Las Vegas. Stu became the gin king as a result of these ventures. In fact, by the time he was in early adulthood, he had already proven himself as the best gin player on the planet. He became so dominant that some Vegas casinos had to ask him not to join their gin tournaments because some players had threatened a boycott if he was allowed to enter. Ungar was once heard saying, "Some day, I suppose it's possible for someone to be a better no limit hold 'em player than me. I doubt it, but it could happen. But, I swear to you, I don't see how anyone could ever play gin better than me." As gin action dried up, Stuey started looking for other forms of high skill action. He found it in poker tournaments. Most notably, the World Series of Poker. He won the $10,000 WSOP Main Event the first time he played in it in 1980, beating the great Doyle Brunson in the finals, becoming the youngest player to win poker’s most prestigious title as a result. He followed up this win in 1981, thus cementing his status as an all time great. He was supposed to defend his title in 1983 but couldn’t. The reason was because he had to defend himself for alledgedly cheating at blackjack (Stu had a very high IQ and a photographic memory which came in handy for blackjack). He won the case but it cost him $50,000 in legal fees. He did save himself the $500 fine which he would have had to pay had he admitted guilt. He fought the case out of principle and won. Nevertheless, he was barred from playing blackjack everywhere. Stuey always gambled on the square.
Some very bad years followed, including the suicide death of a step son, divorce, and reported drug problems. On the bright side, he did have a daughter (named Stephanie) who he loved very much.
Stuey was poised to make a great comeback in the 1990 WSOP Main Event. But very deep into the money (in fact, he had a tremendous chip lead), he was found by his staker, the sports bettor Billy Baxter, laying unconscious on the floor of his hotel. He still managed to finish in 9th place that year without showing up at the final table. A week or two later, as Phil Hellmuth has described in one of his CardPlayer Magazine columns, Stu challenged that year’s eventual champion, Mansour Matloubi, to a $50k heads up match in which he dominated Matloubi. On one hand Stuey called with a 10 high on the river for a huge bet after correctly putting his opponent on a 7 high busted straight draw. Hellmuth claims that from that moment on Matloubi vowed to never play Stuey heads up again.
In 1997, Stu Ungar did the impossible. He became the first and only person to win the World Series of Poker Main Event three times in open competition (Johnny Moss also won three times but the first time he won the title, it was bestowed upon him by his peers through a vote not because he won a freeze-out). Stu says that he was inspired to win that title by his daughter Stephanie, to whom he dedicated his record breaking achievement to. It was then that he turned from being “the Kid” to becoming “the Comeback Kid”.
Unfortunately, and tragically, this was Stu Ungar’s last hurrah. Old demons and habits started to engulf him once again and in 1998, he was found dead in a Las Vegas motel room. The official cause of death was heart failure.
Stu Ungar was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame a few years after his death. His daughter Stephanie was given the honor to kick off the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event with the classic sentence, “Shuffle up and deal”.
Stu Ungar, you will be missed.
Another big influence in Stu Ungar’s early life was a man named Victor Romano who was alleged to have had ties with the Genovese family. Like Ungar, he had a very good memory. In fact, he was observed to have been able to recite and define any word in the dictionary. The two became very close and Victor essentially became a new father figure to Stu. It was Romano who staked Stuey in some very high stakes Gin Rummy games in New York, Miami, and eventually Las Vegas. Stu became the gin king as a result of these ventures. In fact, by the time he was in early adulthood, he had already proven himself as the best gin player on the planet. He became so dominant that some Vegas casinos had to ask him not to join their gin tournaments because some players had threatened a boycott if he was allowed to enter. Ungar was once heard saying, "Some day, I suppose it's possible for someone to be a better no limit hold 'em player than me. I doubt it, but it could happen. But, I swear to you, I don't see how anyone could ever play gin better than me." As gin action dried up, Stuey started looking for other forms of high skill action. He found it in poker tournaments. Most notably, the World Series of Poker. He won the $10,000 WSOP Main Event the first time he played in it in 1980, beating the great Doyle Brunson in the finals, becoming the youngest player to win poker’s most prestigious title as a result. He followed up this win in 1981, thus cementing his status as an all time great. He was supposed to defend his title in 1983 but couldn’t. The reason was because he had to defend himself for alledgedly cheating at blackjack (Stu had a very high IQ and a photographic memory which came in handy for blackjack). He won the case but it cost him $50,000 in legal fees. He did save himself the $500 fine which he would have had to pay had he admitted guilt. He fought the case out of principle and won. Nevertheless, he was barred from playing blackjack everywhere. Stuey always gambled on the square.
Some very bad years followed, including the suicide death of a step son, divorce, and reported drug problems. On the bright side, he did have a daughter (named Stephanie) who he loved very much.
Stuey was poised to make a great comeback in the 1990 WSOP Main Event. But very deep into the money (in fact, he had a tremendous chip lead), he was found by his staker, the sports bettor Billy Baxter, laying unconscious on the floor of his hotel. He still managed to finish in 9th place that year without showing up at the final table. A week or two later, as Phil Hellmuth has described in one of his CardPlayer Magazine columns, Stu challenged that year’s eventual champion, Mansour Matloubi, to a $50k heads up match in which he dominated Matloubi. On one hand Stuey called with a 10 high on the river for a huge bet after correctly putting his opponent on a 7 high busted straight draw. Hellmuth claims that from that moment on Matloubi vowed to never play Stuey heads up again.
In 1997, Stu Ungar did the impossible. He became the first and only person to win the World Series of Poker Main Event three times in open competition (Johnny Moss also won three times but the first time he won the title, it was bestowed upon him by his peers through a vote not because he won a freeze-out). Stu says that he was inspired to win that title by his daughter Stephanie, to whom he dedicated his record breaking achievement to. It was then that he turned from being “the Kid” to becoming “the Comeback Kid”.
Unfortunately, and tragically, this was Stu Ungar’s last hurrah. Old demons and habits started to engulf him once again and in 1998, he was found dead in a Las Vegas motel room. The official cause of death was heart failure.
Stu Ungar was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame a few years after his death. His daughter Stephanie was given the honor to kick off the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event with the classic sentence, “Shuffle up and deal”.
Stu Ungar, you will be missed.
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