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One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 795.412092
EAN: 9780743476584
ISBN: 0743476581
Label: Atria
Manufacturer: Atria
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: June 28, 2005
Publisher: Atria
Studio: Atria
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Editorial Review:
"Stuey Ungar, the son of a Lower East Side bookie, grew up in a New York of the 1950s and '60s that was straight out of Damon Runyon. By his early teens, he had dropped out of high school and was spending most of his time in the city's under- ground card rooms. So prodigious was his talent for playing gin rummy that he soon found himself bankrolled by members of the Genovese crime family. After thrashing every top gin player on the East Coast, he was forced to broaden his horizons--traveling around the country to find opponents and also learning other card games, including poker. At twenty-one, he moved to Las Vegas for good and quickly found mentors in poker legends such as Jack ""Treetop"" Straus, ""Amarillo Slim"" Preston, Doyle Brunson, and Chip Reese, who embraced the skinny five-foot-five kid with the Rimbaud aura. Soon enough, Ungar was playing in the biggest games at the famous Dunes poker room, learning the finer points of the game at incredible speed. In 1980, competing in his second tournament ever and playing a game--no-limit Texas Hold'em--he'd just learned, he shocked the poker universe by winning the World Series of Poker. He would go on to win the event a record three times. In One of a Kind, authors Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson tell the startling tale of a man who managed to win millions of dollars and live the highest of high-roller lives without ever quite understanding or respecting the value of money. Whether tossing away his winnings at the racetrack or on a single roll of the dice, Ungar was notorious for gambling every single dollar in his pocket on a daily basis. The risk that he embodied in his gambling carried over to his personal life. He had no concept of night or day. He didn't own a wristwatch, didn't have a bank account, and for years had no home address or personal possessions. For all his gambling successes, at the end of his life he bounced between hotel rooms, casinos, and crack houses, dependent upon the kindness of friends and strangers. This intimate, authorized biography illuminates the dark genius of poker's most charismatic and mysterious star, who could ruthlessly peer into and read other men's souls but seemed baffled and powerless when confronted with his own. "
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Painful Demise of a Poker Genuis
It wouldn't end well. I knew that when I purchased this book. How could a man succeed so well in poker -- a game that requires heart, stamina, incredible focus, uncanny ability to read people, discipline and intense mathematical analysis -- and fail so badly at life? Nolan Dalla captures Unger so well that I felt as if I was another of Unger's friends, watching his life unravel. Dalla skillfully peels away Unger's layers, until beneath all the bravado, genius, and generosity we see not a man, ... Read More
Rating: - I could not put it down.
This book was a lot of fun to read and very interesting. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. If you have been reading a lot of poker books you will enjoy this book. This book is an easy read compared to the poker strategies books. It is full of people in the poker world that were involved with Stu in one way or another. People like Mike Saxton and Doyle Brunson that tried to stop Stu Unger from his destructive path. This is a very interesting and sad story. Buy this book and read it. ... Read More
Rating: - Amazing Book
One of if not the best poker related book I have ever read (I have read more than I care to mention lol). If you are a Stuey fan you won't find a more accurate entertaining account of his tragic yet triumphant life.
Rating:  - it's ok
As I said: it's ok. It's pretty short for biography and there where goes away that fifth star. Also, it's simple - nobrainer - leisure reading. But we can't judge for that non professional writers [minus star]. Overall - pretty good and fast reading. If it would be possible, I would give 3,5 stars.
Rating: - Not Just A Poker Book: Its For Everyone
As a disclaimer. My novel, Texas Poker Wisdom, is now out. The first editorial review is by Nolan Dalla. This cautionary tale would make an excellent gift for your younger relatives. It is an entertaining, mesmerizing read but it also has a clear anti-drug message. The book is definately not just for poker players. It tells how one of the most talented card players of all time yielded to his self-destructive demons. This biography gives an accurate depiction of the poker tournament world ... Read More
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