Stu Ungar

How many WSOP Main Events did Stu Ungar win?

Stu Ungar won 3 WSOP Main Events — 1980, 1981, and 1997 — making him the only player in history to win 3 Main Event titles outright (Johnny Moss has 3 Main Events total, but his 1970 win was a player vote, not a tournament). Ungar's first two wins came back-to-back as a 26 and 27-year-old in his rookie years; the 1997 win, 16 years later, is universally called 'The Comeback' — he arrived broke and addicted, won $1M, and lost it within months.

Why is Stu Ungar called 'The Kid'?

Ungar earned the nickname 'The Kid' (also 'Stuey') because he looked far younger than his age — slim build, boyish face, often weighed under 130 pounds. When he won his first WSOP Main Event in 1980 at age 26, he looked like a teenager. Veteran players underestimated him for years because of his appearance, which he exploited at the tables. The 1997 comeback win re-earned him the additional nickname 'The Comeback Kid.'

Was Stu Ungar really the best gin rummy player ever?

Yes — by consensus of every serious gin rummy player who saw him play. Ungar was so dominant at gin rummy that he was banned from casinos and private games in New York and Las Vegas because no one would play him. He reportedly beat world-class gin players giving them massive handicaps. His pattern-recognition and card-counting were considered superhuman. He moved to poker partly because gin opponents dried up — nobody would gamble with him.

What was Stu Ungar's IQ?

Ungar's IQ was reportedly tested at 185 — genius-level (Mensa requires 130+). The figure is widely cited but unverified by formal records. What is documented: his card-counting at blackjack was so accurate he was banned from most Las Vegas casinos by his early 20s, his gin rummy play was considered mathematically perfect by elite players, and his poker reads (like calling Mansour Matloubi's bluff at the 1990 WSOP Main Event without looking at his own cards) are legendary.

How did Stu Ungar die?

Stu Ungar died November 22, 1998, in a $58/night Las Vegas motel room at age 45. Cause of death was a heart attack induced by multiple drug intoxication — the autopsy found cocaine, methadone, and Percodan in his system. He had been a long-term cocaine addict; his nose was so damaged from years of use that he could no longer smell or taste. He died with $800 to his name despite earning an estimated $30 million+ in his career — most lost to drugs, sports betting, and casino games.