by Johnny Hughes » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:02 pm
I never played with Stu Ungar but I was there watching the 1997 final table. I also have the video which has hands and interviews. It is rather sad to watch. I'm not really sold on whoever wins the series being so much better than the forgotten number two. Stu, like Gus, drew out at critical times.
He entered the final table with such a chip lead that Phil Hellmuth, one of the commentators. made him almost a sure thing. The newsworthy story behind the 1997 WSOP was Stu Ungar's comeback which included overcoming his addiction to cocaine.
Stu did not snort all his money. He lost a lot of it playing very bad poker. Drunk and stoned people play bad hole cards. He lost a lot of money at other foolish types of gambling.
Clean and sober, he was one of the very best at no limit tournaments, a genius at that one small part of being a gambler.
Making a large score was no good deal for Stu Ungar.
Johnny Hughes