One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey ',The Kid', Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player

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I recall that Jim Mcmanus, in his book on the World Series of Poker, mentioned that Stu Ungar was someone with a life truly in need of exploring, so I was pleased to find out about the existence of this book. I ordered it the minute it was released.

I could not be more pleased with the purchase. Its pages flow like frames in a motion picture. I could not put the biography down. This is a tribute both to the professional writer employed, Peter Alson, and also to the ornate texture of the life it documents.

Stu Ungar was a thoroughly compulsive, brilliant man who was given many gifts that he, with unprecedented impatience, smoked away through the tube of a crack pipe. There was no "could have been a champ" with Stuey though. He won The World Series of Poker three times and was victorious in 381 competitions overall. His memory was photographic and his mind a spinning computer, yet it was his ever-present need for instant gratification that finished him. A lack of concern for money was his greatest No Limit characteristic, but it was also his biggest weakness as he blew millions on sports betting, the ponies, and every other proposition put before him.

Ungar was a man of total contradictions. He loved being a father and cared intensely for his daughter and stepson, yet he disappeared for weeks at a time and could often not be reached when they needed him. Stuey lived for competition but allowed drugs to cause him to skip the 1998 WSOP and sleep through the last two days of the 1990 one. He could be charming and entertaining but had few social graces. This genius had parts which canceled out his whole.

The book succeeds at many levels. We feel tremendous sympathy for the main character, but wonder what more any single person could have done to save him. The finest of the poker players are emotionally non-responsive at the table and possess "alligator blood." However, with Stuey, they brought misery upon themselves in the hopes of diverting him from his inevitable destruction. Doyle Brunson let him move in with his family in El Paso, while Mike Sexton, the same cheeseball who provides color for the World Poker Tour, paid Ungar's hotel bills time and again just so his friend would have a place to live. Chip Reese had written him off, but, finally, as Ungar sat in a jail cell, he pulled out 55 C notes to secure his release.

Stuey Ungar had more talent than practically anyone else on this earth, and being rich should have been a sure thing, but his love of life never equaled his lust for action. He died by his own hand even if the coroner's report said otherwise.

Stu Ungar's legend transcends poker: he won the world championship three times (the third more than a decade and a half after the second and when he was regarded as a has-been or curiosity) and was supposedly an even BETTER gin player. He had a genius for games that was almost unfathomable. Then, just a year and a half after his greatest triumph, he was dead.

Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson have big-league credentials as researchers and writers of a story about a broken genius of cards. Among other things, Dalla is the media director for the World Series of Poker, can get in touch with ANYONE connected with poker, and interviewed Ungar several times before his death in 1998. Dalla has papered poker publications and web sites with excellent accounts. Alson wrote a highly-acclaimed book about his days as a bookie at Harvard and has written for a writer's wish-list of men's magazines.

Their account is so intimate that it's almost uncomfortable. I say this as a GOOD THING! Ungar was very private, closed even to most people in the poker world, and not a frequent interview subject. This was especially true regarding the two things we'd want to know about: his genius at cards and his self-destruction. Dalla interviewed him before his death and the periodic first-person accounts by Ungar are fascinating and shocking. In addition, the higher echelons of poker (especially where organized crime figures are possibly near, as they were in Ungar's early days and, socially, later on) can be a closed world. Even though men like Mike Sexton and Doyle Brunson are public figures, you would not expect them to be frank about their tragic friend, or about matters potentially at odds with poker's relatively recent, relatively wholesome reputation. But Dalla and Alson got the inside accounts from Stuey's closest friends and even those shadowy mobsters. They also obtained the story from Ungar's ex-wife and daughter; again, invaluable sources you'd expect would be difficult to get.

Stu Ungar's life story is fascinating, no matter how it is told, so the authors are starting with a good hand. From a research perspective, there can be no more authoritative work on the man.

But it is the writing and story telling that REALLY shine. The authors weave together Ungar's first-person accounts with the stories of their many sources in a way that is seamless and compelling. Ungar's essential mystery remains, but the authors allow us to experience the key moments of his bizarre life, always knowing what he's up to and why.

At the risk of mixing metaphors, Ungar lived a roller-coaster life that came to a train-wreck end. The story, ultimately, is a sad one, but it is a thrilling ride for the reader.

I was originally going to title my review "The Life & Death Of Stu Ungar" but this book is more about the downfall of the poker legend rather than the highs. He's been called the greatest poker player who ever lived by many people, and whether you believe that others in the past or present are better than "The Kid", there can be no denying that Stuey Ungar certainly knew how to play cards better than 99.99% of other players out there. It seems that the best players have a type of 'sixth sense' that others just do not possess, and this talent led Stu Ungar to heights of success that many can only hope to dream to achieve.

Born into a seedy lifestyle where his father took bets ever day out of his shop for all the sporting events, Stuey knew only one thing in his life: gambling. It was a constant throughout his every day in his childhood and his entire, short life. The book chronicles how Stuey got his early "training" to become the great card player that he was today, but this introduction which planted the seeds for his success also planted the same seeds for his destruction.

Winning 2 World Series of Poker main events soon after he was legal to drink, Stu couldn't help the fact that he wasn't just a card player, he was a GAMBLER. Cards came easy to this legend, it was other challenges like sports handicapping and horse racing that really got him excited. Games like poker and especially gin just didn't have the action that he continuously craved. If Stuey had just played cards and was able to avoid the other demons in his life, no doubt he would be wealthier than players like Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson and the like. Sadly, because of these demons, Stuey would have moments of greatness that just would be few and far between after the early 1980s.

And then there were the drugs.

Cocaine and later crack after his nasal membranes were burnt away, Stu Ungar's story is that of a drug addict who could never escape the mistakes that he made. You've heard the warning your whole life: don't do drugs. Mr. Ungar's story is just one example of millions that could be used to show why doing drugs can ruin everything you strive for in life. Stuey made a mistake, the same mistake that anyone could make, and he wasn't strong enough to overcome this mistake, dying at the young age of 44 years old. To die so young just shows the amount of abuse that he did to his body, a tragic loss for the poker world, and his young daughter that he loved so much.

This is a great book that took a long time to come out, due mainly to the fact that Stuey died only 3 months after the agreement was signed for this book to be written. Probably another 100 pages or more could have been added to this biography if Stu had been alive to share more of his experiences. No doubt readers would have learned of more big games, and more insight into the drug problems that plagued Stu his entire life. Because of the limited quotes that could be obtained, it feels like the book can't go into the amount of detail that the author would love to share, but that's life.

If you play poker and want to learn about possibly the greatest player to ever grace the felt, you owe it to yourself to read 'One Of A Kind'. If you know nothing about poker and want to read about how drugs can ruin your life, you might get more out of this than the seasoned poker professional.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

While the book imparts a great deal of information about Ungar's life, the writing is drab and amateurish. I give the authors high marks for research and low marks for style.

Of most interest are the beginning and ending chapters. The portrait of a young Stuey growing up in Little Italy provides a viable explanation for Ungar's dysfunctional and tragic adulthood. The final chapters do a good job of providing us with details about Ungar's final rise and fall. It is the beginning and ending chapters that make the book worth reading, since the stories therein had not before been told in such detail.

The middle chapters of the book were a tedious read. They seemed to repeat one Ungar "tale" after another; perhaps if those tales were not all so similar, they wouldn't have seemed so boring.

In sum, this is probably a great book for those who are already Ungar fans. As a literary work, however, it's so-so.

This book began as a tell-all biography written by/with Ungar, that turned out to be for tragic but inevitable reasons about Ungar instead. Dalla and Alson weave a riveting tale of Ungar's growing up a bookie's son in New York, falling in as a sort of pet of the mob, finding his true calling in Las Vegas, and reaching, virtually simultaneously, the highest highs and lowest lows one can experience in a gambling career. His transcendent, really almost extrasensory brilliance and feel for cards is obvious.

Unfortunately Ungar's personality was wildly unbalanced, and a genius for cards was matched with a gaping hole where the rest of his personality should have been. Prodigies in other fields equally abstruse - take for example Morphy or Fischer in chess - had something of this, too. The book is anything but a psychological study, but in its sheer repetition of the ups and downs of Ungar's life, shows the cycles of mania and self-destruction getting tigher and tighter like a vise around him. The end was completely predictable and inevitable, from this viewpoint.

Dalla and Alson write well, with a flair for telling dramatic poker stories, and of course they had access to a lot of very colorful people who spent a lot of time with Ungar. In that sense, it is a page-turner, and hard to put down. However, despite the fact that a lot of poker players will tell you they can learn everything about a man through how he plays poker, I came away from the book feeling that while I knew more about Ungar's ultimately tragic life, I didn't really know what drove him.

It's easy to say that hunger for action, a self-destructive willingness and even eagerness to court disaster constantly, and a soft affection for his daughter, and a savant-like talent all resided in the body - well, yes, but why? How did he become that way? In the end he seems to have just grown up an overindulged talent who never did grow to even the maturity of the average 20 year old.

The book does tell a fascinating story of the unique personalities of poker and Las Vegas, and makes great reading.

One of, if not, the best book i've read. A huge fan of poker and Stu Ungar. I enjoyed every minute of this book, cover to cover. To go insdie the life of Stu Ungar from his worst times to his best times only made me want to learn more and turn more pages but it gave a greater perspective on the poker world back in the 80's. Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson did an amazing job on this book and anyone who is a poker fan and knows about Stu Ungar should definitely pick this book up.

This is a tough writing assignment. Two great writers, Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson, are more than up to the task, and solve it brilliantly in a chronological, well-researched, smooth-reading biography of the famous gambler. Most of the things that can go right or wrong in a life happened to Ungar. This book captures the sights and sounds his era in an entertaining fashion, and is likely the best glimpse we will ever have into the mystery of Ungar, one of the great poker players of his age.
Larry W. (Wayno) Phillips, author of "Zen and the Art of Poker"

It seems to be that a person that is the best in the world at one thing often has to pay for that skill by having gross failures in other areas. And that is certainly the case of Stuey Ungar. At card games like gin rummy and poker he was the best of the best. Stuey was the Babe Ruth of high stakes poker. During his life he won perhaps $30,000,000, no one knows for sure.

Yet at the same time he had more than his share of tragedy. In the end, his life style killed him at age 45. Drugs played a major part in his death, not as the killing agent, but as part of what ruined his heart.

This book is a biography, but more that that it is almost a tribute that covers his failures but stresses his successes. It was begun before his death as an authorized biography. Stuey himeslf was interviewed several times, and his ex-wife and daughter likewise assisted in telling the story.

It is amazing, in our world that a life like this can be lived.

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, but a little boy; probably a traumatized boy desperately trying to outrun his demons. When he could no longer outrun them by chasing escalating gambling highs, he escapes into drug addiction. Knowing how the book would end, I couldn't help but root for Unger. But Dalla does not stop with Unger, we experience the frustrations, disappointments and horror of Unger's friends and family, whom Dalla thoroughly interviewed. Like any child, Unger is singularly insensitive to the needs of those around him. As exhaustive and painful as this book was proving to be, I couldn't put it down. That's a great credit to Dalla.

This book read like a fast paced movie. I also saw the movie "Stuey" which was based on this book, but the book was much better. It had great details, especially about Stuey's early days when he was primarily a high stakes gin rummy player, who crushed everyone else in the world so badly he couldn't find a game anymore. Thats why he first got into poker. Its amazing how the last 20 years of Stuey's life played out. He went from the peak of his career in the early 80's, to relative obscurity in the drug-hazed late 80's and early 90's, and then resurfaced one last time winning the 1997 WSOP, before he left us for good. Its almost as if he knew he wasn't going to be around much longer and he wanted to remind us one more that he really was the greatest ever. He was truly brilliant. But the light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long. Dalla and Alson did a terrific job, but I still craved more, especially about those lost years from 1985-1995. The final days and weeks when Stuey tried to pawn off a piece of colored glass as a ruby to buy crack had me in tears. I highly recommend this book to any poker player or even a person fascinated by a great human interest story.

This is a real page turner for poker players who will eat up the pages and beg for more

This is a very interesting and tragic book about perhaps the greatest no limit hold em player of all time. "The Kid" was unique; a hard living aggressive maniac whose skills were perfect for the cutthhroat tables of high stakes poker. Unfortunately, those same traits basically destroyed his personal relationships, turned him to drugs, and ultimately destroyed it. What is simply unreal is how a man who won an estimated 30 miilion bucks in his life managed to die totally broke, even trying to borrow money from anyone who would talk to him. Still, Dalla and Alston paint a picture of man who seemed to want people around him, was frequently kind and gentle, yet always fail back into the deep hole of drugs and gambling.

The only knock I have (and it's small) is the portrayal of mafia goons Romano and Tartaglia as kind and refined.. I have a hard time imagining a man like Victor Romano, who spent over 20 years in jail )for crimes including armed robbery and shooting a cop) as being a father figure. More likely, the authors are simply romanticizing over Stuie's reflections of a tough life. BAsically, these guys took a percentage of everything Stuie made, and were looking to protect their investment.

Overall, though, this is a book thats tough to put down!

My basic knowledge of poker is not the reason why I found this book so amusing. I'm more interested in the lives of peak performers, and Stuey Ungar was as good as they come. Ungar, in the world of gin and poker was arguably better than the likes of Michael Jordan and Joe Montana in their respective fields.

Stuey's lifestyle was an anomaly. He was a miserable failure as a husband and father, he couldn't dress himself, had a hairdresser wash his hair 3 times a week, never had a bank account, had horrible table manners, yet he was the most generous tipper and had an uncanny ability to read people in card games. His skills in the game of gin were bar none. His poker skills were unprecedented, when he was focused and off drugs. His appetite for gambling was insatiable, and he often lost all of his winnings, totalling $30 million in his lifetime, betting on horse races or sports.

Unfortunately, Stuey grew up in a very dysfunctional family which led to his addiction to drugs and a host of other problems affecting his performance at the poker table.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the life of a peak performer who lived an unimaginable life every step of the way.

Stu Unger was, by far, the greatest to ever play the game of poker. At the same time, like Fisher, he was consumed and obsessed by it with no room left in his life for anything else. This, perhaps, is the price someone pays for greatness.
If you have ever been even semi serious about the game of poker, you will appreciate and understand the insights into the mind and character of this poker genius.
(By the way, there's no comparison between this book and the movie that was made about Stu Unger's life. This book is 1,000 times better. The movie only gives a surface view of Stu Unger's life without any insight into what made him tick. In addition, it was inaccurate in some of what it presented.)

Well, the book starts quite entertaining but after a while you get bored a bit by reading the same story again and again. Stuey made big money at poker / Rummy and then lost in on sports betting /horse races immediately after.

But, well, that was his life after all.

Definitely an interesting read and also a warning about how gambling and drugs can destroy a man, even a brilliant one ..

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 and Las Vegas. In the poker forums, like TwoPlusTwo, it is the most popular book in years.

I have met and played poker with the two authors. Both are good poker players as well as excellent writers. Nolan Dalla is the Media Director of the World Series of Poker,a prolific poker writer for many publications, and known for his wit and integrity. His co-author, Peter Alson, has impressive writing credentials in both books and magazines.

This book and Jim McManus' book inspired me to become a full-time poker writer. I'll take a Gambler's Oath that you will love this book.

Johnny Hughes, author the novel Texas Poker Wisdom.Texas Poker Wisdom

A fascinating look into the life of a character unlike anything else the world had (nor is likely to again) ever seen.

Stu Ungar managed to live a life of extremes. A prodigy when it cames to his profession, but equally self-destructive. If he had only the first element, he may well still be around, winning tournaments. If he only had the second, he would never have made his mark on history and would have been doomed to simply vanish, like so many others.

The fact that he could combine pure genius at the table with a lack of understanding of how the rest of us see the real world is scintillating in itself.

A great read which doesn't require one to be a card lover to enjoy it.

This book about Stu Ungar is very entertaining and informative. I loved it. The only bad thing about the book is that it had to end. I talked so much about the book a co-worker read it and now he's a big fan of Stu Ungar. He said it was the best book he had every read other than the Bible! To me it's better than the Bible! If you like gambling, poker, gin rummy, or interesting people get this book! I only wish Stu Ungar had written a book on gin rummy before his death. Buy and enjoy!

I have read through 2/3rds of the book and I am enthralled by the detail and significance of the story of Stuart Ungar.

The easy to read nature of the tale is hands down one of the best in the genre of autobiographies-biography due to the correct use of grammar, punctuation, flowing sentence structure, and correct use of syntax.

Unlike other works that I have read, I have not had to adjust my reading to the peculiar style of the author because of a lack of writing skills. Nolan Dalla is an excellent writer of extraordinary skill.

Perhaps the greatest facet of the book is the description of the Jew in general as exemplified in the life of Stuart Ungar. The impression that one gets from reading this book indicates at least to me the spiritual bankruptcy that the Jew finds himself in even though he has all the trappings of wealth and secular power at his disposal. Did'nt they say at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ "Let His blood be on our hands". This presents a real dilemma.

The poker facts and helpful tid-bits are interspersed within the well written story and are to be gleaned in that manner. This is not a poker manual of secrets to successful play but a story of a man whose life hit both highs and lows and can be described as a true gambler among gamblers.

This was a really good book that could have been better. Any fan of poker or gambling or las vegas for that matter will likely enjoy this book. The stories are well told and it really is a page-turner.

The authors spend about a third of the book on his childhood, and that is where a lot of hints are that foretold his problems later in life. He was the Kid in more ways than one in that he never seemed interested in accepting the challenges of adult life such as financial or family responsibility.

The pages on drug addiction were well-represented and appropriate in that drugs were ultimately the cause of his untimely death. Where I feel the authors missed the point was in glossing over his powerful gambling addiction. My belief is that even if he had never taken a drug he would have still likely lived a life of financial and personal ruin if he had continued to gamble incessantly. It appears that he was equally woeful in sports betting, the track, golf, and casino betting as he was skillful as a gin and poker player.

Furthermore, it is interesting to see his "friends" bemoan his drug addiction but continue to feed his gambling addiction with their backing and loans. It is even worth some debate to discuss how much of a friend some of them really were but that was not challenged here. Given one of the authors position as WSOP media director it is not entirely surprising to see the gambling addiction whitewashed.

That being said, this was a well written book that I enjoyed immensely.

If you are a poker fan like me, you'll find this a very fun book and chocked full of information about the guy most people consider to be the greatest poker player of all time.

However, I'd probably pass on this if you're not a poker player. Writing is not steller, and the book is definitely on the depressing side.

Although I was hoping to read more detail about Stu's poker games the book held up. Amazing coverage about the evolution of Stu from childhood to his demise. A wonderful tragedy.

Well, what can I say about this book? Breathtaking, is the first thing that comes to mind.
As a regular player and somewhat of a student of the game I've read pretty much everything out there relating to poker. I have to say that this is without a doubt the best anecdotal book describing the high-rolling poker scene that I've come across. With the recent boom in popularity poker has been enjoying, everyone and his dog has put pen to paper feeding the insatiable appetite of the poker neophyte. This book, in my opinion, is by far one of the few that genuinely offers value for money and a read that will leave you breathless.
If you have heard of Stu Ungar, seen the movie, read the magazine articles or remember the WSOP back in Stu's day then you have to read this book. It blows the movie out of the water and delivers drama like you're reading a work of fiction. The reality of Stu's remarkable life is presented here with detail previously untapped, leaving you feeling an unmistakable sense of loss for the best poker player to have ever lived.
Ian White (President of the Cornell Poker Club)

Finally some new stories about Stuey Ungar, after years of some of the same told over and over by other writers. I liked the first half of book more than second. First half has great stuff on Ungar's life in New York, his early gambling years, and his rise to top as New York gambler. His relationship with gambler-gangster Vic Romano is told by Stu to author Dalla, who interviewed Ungar for book. Ungar recalls how Romano tried to talk him into going to college, which ungar seems to regret not doing. Also funny is Ungar trying to becme a jockey. For first time ungar's wife and daughter are interviewed, giving their stories.
Last halsf of book has some repeats of stories already told elsewhere, and seems to run out of steam, but some good things in their as well.

This book is so great to read, I literally couldn't put it down! Bought it and finished it the next day, now I am bummed that it is over.

Very well writen, highly recommeded!

Stu Unger is definitely part of that rarefied casino beating crew that includes Richard Marcus in the book American Roulette and Michael Lewis from Bringing Down the House. We need to see more books like One of a Kind and American Roulette to show us how casinos and poker games can be attacked by those with incredible skills and guts.

Stu "The Kid" Ungar's life story is one of those "only in America" tales. According to many, he was the most-talented card player ever. His father was a bookie on Manhattan's Lower East Side, so Stu grew up in New York's gambling scene. Inevitably, Stu ended up in Las Vegas - America's adult playground. He eventually won the World Series of Poker three times - and should have won several other times.

Ungar is an enigma. His gifts were awesome; so were his deficits. Stu lived to beat the world's best card players, but seemed to care nothing about money. He loved his family, but neglected it. He had a mind for numbers, but never had a bank account. Ungar eventually plunged into drug addiction and gambling debts. Most readers will be ambivalent about The Kid.

Readers who aren't avid card players will find some of this book to be slow going. Dalla and Alson go into great detail on Stu's most-famous games.

Still, One of a Kind is entertaining. Readers learn about the strange world of professional gambling and one its most-fascinating characters.

A great read for those interested in the realities of a true gambler's world. Chilling, dark and disturbing, but, for those of who have had exposure to guys that need the "action", it's as true - to - life as is gets. I was left wanting more...literally could not put it down.

Well written book that takes you into the life of one of the best card players ever. While he could learn any card game quickly and be one of the best at it, he could never learn how to live life. If you like reading about the early days of the poker boom and how things were, this is a great book. I especially like the picture section in the middle.

The first few pages read like the fast-paced prose I expect from these types of books. But the momentum quickly fades. I continually wondered if the writer simply got bored and wasn't will to invest the hard work needed to create several hundred pages equal to those first. The book does a whole lot of "telling" and very little "showing." It is thin on scenes and action and instead offers a litany of summarizations. I only finished the thing because Ungar's life, no matter how it is rendered, captivates.

There is very little artful story telling in this book. I am surprised Mcmanus endorsed it. He had do have done so with reservations as the man understands writing.

A good editor would have pushed this work further. It's a lackluster telling of a riveting life.

The research seems solid, and the book is better than nothing. But it was a definite let-down.

What a sad waste of a genius mind. A fascinating and often funny read, and yet tragic. A must read for any poker player or gambler.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I knew of Stuey Ungar for years and I always thought he was just some good poker player who ruined his life with drugs and that was that. I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was so much more to him than I could ever believe. I don't want to ruin the story, but Stuey is definitely one of the greatest gamblers to ever live. He lived a fast and exciting life. Stuey truly was "One of a Kind".

Sad read but very easy read, Stu had either highs or lows and nothing you could call a life! What a great mind when you finish this book you will ask yourself, if only this man had a normal life what a great man he could of been! Parents can sure screw kids up! The only problen with this book is the title. It should read the man who never had a chance!

The greatest biographies combine in-depth research with brilliant writing to weave together the facts in a way that creates a story with direction, dynamic, and narrative. They don't just tell the facts, they create a whole world that relates the facts to each other so that you get a sense of the spirit of the person and his (or her) world. You come out knowing why, as well as the what and when.

On that measurement, this book falls a little short. But that's a tough measurement, and it may not be the reason why you would pick up this book. If you've heard of Stuey Ungar, either because you're familiar with the history of poker, or because you saw the travesty of a movie that was made several years ago, you know what a fascinating story this is just on the surface and it gets even better when you go deeper.

The research for this book is exhaustive, and it takes you into Stuey's life, both through his eyes, and the eyes of those who surrounded the man many consider to be the best poker player ever. And not only do you get a sense of his life, you learn about a world of poker that was not nearly so accessible and pleasant as it is today. I walked through the Borgata's poker room in AC the day after I finished this book and I couldn't help but think about how much the poker world has changed (mostly for the better).

Of course, it's disappointing that the book doesn't solve some of the biggest mysteries about a man who was, in many ways, a closed box, but in the presentation of the man and his world, you start to get a slightly better sense of how he grew to be who he was, and how he fell.

This book about Stuey "The Kid" Ungar is a fast-paced read about a poker prodigy. Before 'Hold 'em hit the scene, Stuey played Gin and became a young expert at card playing. It was said that his memory was photographic. This book shares the story of Stuey who lived life as a hard core gambler. All of life was a gamble to him and he took every opportunity in life to wager. His life experience was so far removed from the regular life that you and I might be living--paying bills and earning an honest wage.

Stuey lived hard in all aspects: gambling, sex and drugs. He rubbed shoulders and was mentored by the mob and some of Vegas' biggest names like Doyle Brunson and a the Binions. Reading this book will allow you to see the life "The Kid" lived in NYC and Las Vegas.

If you love books about Las Vegas and the game of Hold 'em as well as exciting stories about gambling--Stu Ungar's story will not disappoint.

I could not put this book down. It tells everything as honestly as possible without glamorizing his life.
Some lines of great poker advice, too.

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. I think you like it.

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.

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.

This is a great book on maybe the best poker player ever. It takls about his mastery of poker and other games and his addictions in life.

Real people rarely match the stature of characters from tragic fiction. Their virtues are smaller, and their faults less fatal. Not so Stu Ungar. He was gifted with the greatest ability of any card player of the modern era. He was indisputably the best player of high stakes gin and tournament poker for the later half of his life, and won millions putting those skills to use. At the same time, he was completely incapable of setting limits for himself, and as a result eventually died broke in a cheap hotel, his health destroyed by years of drug use.

Stu's story, told from the outside, would have all the components of a great tragedy. However, One of A Kind goes further, using material from Dalla's incredibly revealing interviews with Ungar (the book was originally going to be an authorized biography, but Dalla's subject died on him) to answer ever-important questions of motivation and to fill in details that would otherwise be lost to history. This level of detail, combined with Alson's very capable writing, makes the book an effortless joy to read.

The only flaw I see in the work is a fundamentally flattering portrayal of a man with a severely skewed moral compass. Stu's criminal involvement with the NY mob, and his neglect of his family, stand out as his most serious shortcomings. Yet the book does not deal with them all that effectively because they are contrary to the positive image that Dalla wants to portray of his subject (and I believe friend?). The glasses may not be rose colored, but they have a slight red tint.

That said, One of a Kind is utterly fascinating and I read it in a single sitting. Anyone interested in poker, gin, gambling, or simply the extremes of the human condition will likely find it well worth their time.

Stuey Ungar started as a card prodigy and ended up an out of control mess, both a losing gambler and a drug abuser. Fortunately, this biography-- based on numerous interviews with Ungar himself -- reveals a lot of his early card skills in both gin rummy and poker. Remarkably, he won the WSOP main event two years in a row and came close to winning a third time till his drug use took over. (He had so many chips in that event that he won money without actually playing a hand for 2 days!)

He made a great comeback in the WSOP, but I'll leave that for you to read yourself.

His skills at high-stakes gin rummy were so unparalleled that the best in the country would not play against him.

The rise and fall of one of the best card players ever.

An engrossing biography on a poker legend. This book brings us to the early days of high stakes poker while retelling the meteoric rise and fall of Stuey Ungar, arguably the best no limit poker player of his time.

Alan Safani

I just loved this boke I loved the stories, from others who came into contact with Stuie. I couldn't put it down and just enjoyed this book very much.

"One of a Kind" is a remarkable story of Stu Ungar and his troubled life, battling his addiction of drugs and gambling. We get a glimpse into the mind of a genius, and the discipline of a child. He had a gift, unlike any other, with a photographic memory, but he couldn't kick the allure of the quick high of drugs and the adrenaline drug of sports gambling and horse racing. He had so many chances, so many friends who tried to help him, that the book and his life is almost disturbing. He was one of the best poker players in the world, and the best gin player, bar none, in the world. What a wasted talent. He actually made money playing poker and gin to feed his drug and sports betting addiction. Over $30,000,000 in winnings in his lifetime, bankrupt to millionaire four times.
If you have a "wild side" to you and play in a weekly old man's quarter poker game, like I do, you will love this story and book.
A book that make you think about the Stu in the lines of "What If". What if he cleaned himself up. He would have become the Elvis of gamblers.

Excellent read.Read it in a day and a half.The author tells the story very well and your given, right from the begining a sense of his ways.I think it appeals because it tells the story of someone who did things which we all dream about doing, but never had the guts to. In my all time top five

One Of A Kind is truly an amazing book about an amazing life.
On one of my trips to Las Vegas I was at Binion's with a friend my last night in town, and he pointed to Stu Ungar's framed picture on the wall alongside all the other big poker players, and explained to me that 'that kid' was one of the best players ever. The next morning on my way to the airport to catch my flight home, I happened to see 'One Of A Kind' with Stuey's picture on the cover at a store, and remembering what my friend had told me, bought it. Although I had planned on catching some sleep on the plane, I ended up reading the book for two and a half hours solid, and didn't want to land.
Stu Ungar was truly born to gamble. He was born the son of a bookie. After his father's death, he ended up being sort of adopted by a kindly mobster who recognized (and shared) his mental gift. And what an amazing gift he had, Stu Ungar had a mind for cards like Bobby Fischer did for chess. He could read and count cards effortlessly. And poker wasn't even his main game, Gin was. As a teenager Stuey had destroyed every major Gin player on the East coast, and then as a young adult he did the same thing in Las Vegas, to the point where no one wanted to play him. Turning to poker as a sort of backup game, he ended up dominating. His multiple World Series of Poker wins undeniably prove that he was the greatest poker player (heck, the greatest card player) of all time.
This book not only does a good job of telling all the great Stu Ungar gambling stories, but also shows what a kind and generous personality Stuey had. Although he was ruthless at the card table, he was also a kind and generous person who loved his wife, daughter, and step-son very much. The book also does a good job of showing how Stuey's many friends in the poker community tried so hard to help him. Although many of them deserve mention, Mike Sexton stood out especially as someone who wanted very much to do whatever he could to help his friend get back on track. One truly sad thing about Stuey's untimely death is that his best poker days were probably ahead of him; he died in 1998, right at the time when 'Rounders' was released and poker exploded in popularity. I have no doubt that if Ungar had lived longer he would have become a huge legend, with an endless supply of people begging to play (and lose) to him.

The writing is OK and could have been much better but this book is all about the story of "The Kid" and that more than compensates. Great book, fascinating insight - couldn't put it down.

The authors tell the fascinating story of Stu Ungar in a straightforward, non-judgemental way. They realize that lessons of his life are made even more apparent by omitting unnecessary commentary. What is particularly commendable, is that the author does not take the easy path of defining the complex characters in the book into "good guys" and "bad guys." The Mafia boss who acts as young Ungar's father/mentor is shown as both a positive and reprehensible person. Poker player Doyle Brunson appears as a good friend who honestly tries to help Ungar, but also as a manipulative, aggressive gambler.

The writers also do a very good job of describing the worlds where Ungar lived from mob controlled New York to the changing environment in Las Vegas. The words by well-known characters such as Mike Sexton and Brunson make the telling of the story even richer. The first hand accounts from Ungar's ex-wife and daughter help the reader more completely understand Ungar as a person, and not just a cartoon character of cocaine dependent savant.

The tale of great potential brought down by cocaine is one that is too familiar to anyone who lived through the 70's and 80's (think of Belushi, Kinneson, DeLorean). Ungar's story is particularly compelling because it takes place in the now highly popular world of high-stakes poker. The temptation of quick riches and the attendent dangers haven't gone away just because the cocaine fad has diminished.

The reason for giving the book 4 instead of five stars is due to the sometimes poor quality of writing. Too often, the book includes cliches; and, occasionally, the narrative thread drifts. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating story that, overall, is well told and worth the time for anyone interested in poker and the impact of fame.

Ungar was the epitome of poker, a rock and roll gambling freak!!! He was Hollywood, genius, loser, addict and legend all wrapped in one. I waited forever for this book and it delivered. I just thought that a little too much time was spent on his youth. but once he arrived in Vegas, the stories and the glory (along with the drug abuse) poured out. It is an entertaining and compelling story of a tortured genius.

while poker is at its peak, i really hope they make a movie of Ungar's life, adapting THIS book. That "Stuey" movie with Michael Imperioli was a joke.

A quick glance at a fascinating and troubled life. There's nothing deep here, but Ungar was an original and his life story includes a lot of amazing characters and stories. This is a breezy, fast read along the lines of Amarillo Slim's autobiography, but with a more troubled protagonist travelling a much rockier road. Good stuff.

Oh my god, the book to read, i was amazed but a little sad about the kid lifes, but hey , no one is perfect, but the book was amazing.

Excellent bio of one of the greatest poker (and gin) players of all time, who self destructed at a much too young age.

Rumor has it confirmed - - There will be a movie made of this most amazing story. He was a facinating person. It's tragic. But, you understand why. What an amazing talent.
I would recommend for any age to read this story.
Not all about Poker - But some good stories about some of his games.

If you watched much about poker since it has become so popular you have probably heard at least of the name of Stuey the kid Ungar if not the story of his life. This story started out as a autobiography but as time went on the author had to finish the bookdue to the untimely death of Stu ungar. This is an outstanding story about Mr. ungar amazing talents and his dealing with the demons in his life.

Stu ungar was born to Ido and Fay Ungar in 1953. His father was had hard working man who hardwork and saving he purchased a liquor license and opened a corner bar he also ran a bookmaking operation out of the bar one of the big attractions was he had a television set up in the bar to watch the local teams he also had a lot of mob affiliated guys coming that in some ways was beneificial for stu later on. Stu and his sister Judy spent alot of time in the bar after school so Stu was exposed to gambling at a early age.Stu even got to where he was making lines and keeping the books in order for his father. Stu's family was pretty good even though his father had many girlfrineds they where the kind of family that where pretty well off to the point that in the summer they would go to a resort to spend the summer this was one of the places that started to develop his attraction to gambling besides the fact when Stu and Judy his sister would play games like monoply checkers and such they would bet on them.
The family went down hill after Stu's father death there mother went of the deep end to abusing prescription medicine and being neglectful of the children and letting the run wild. In the mean time Stu had pick up the game of gin , he ends up in a illegal card club to play poker and ends up playing gin and winning about 60 dollars. With the help of one of the mob guys that came into his fathers bar and the man that became a father figure to Stu they played and discussed gin rummy hands Word got out that there was a young guy that was a great gin player and stu played all comers and not only beat them he humiliated the best players in the world. In time there really is nobody to play as he has beat them all at gin so he moves on to poker and excels pretty fast this to the point to some of the big pros he was the best they ever have seen to obtaining many gold bracelets.

The downside was he was great at cards but to everyday life it was pathetic they way his table manners and dealing with everyday life the funning thing was to collect his winnings from his first wsop tournament he had to go out and get a social security card he never need one. The whole tragedy was that he could not deal with everyday life so well that he turned to drugs to cope and threw away an amazing talent. Read this book it is a good one.