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One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey, 'The Kid', Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player
Now in paperback comes the first and authorized biography of Stuey Ungar, the greatest card player of all time, who was backed by the Mob in New York before moving to Las Vegas where he won the World Series of Poker three times, then died mysteriously in a seedy motel on the Vegas strip at the age of 45.
He was the Jim Morrison of the casino, a legend before he was of legal age. Stuey Ungar, the son of a Jewish bookie on Manhattan's Lower East Side, dropped out of high school to become an underground card-table sensation, eventually taking out every top gin-rummy player on the East Coast. Bankrolled by the Genovese crime family, Stuey would soon travel around the country in search of new opponents and opportunities—including poker. He would go on to win the World Series of Poker a record three times. And then his luck began to run out.
One of a Kind is the startling tale of a man who won at his game and lost control of his life. Whether tossing away his winnings at the racetrack or on a single roll of the dice, Stuey was notorious for gambling every single dollar in his pocket. Though he had won an estimated $30 million in his lifetime, Stuey had no bank account, not even a home address. He was found dead in a Vegas motel—with $800 in cash on his person, the only money he had left—at the age of forty-five.
An intimate, authorized biography—Nolan Dalla was commissioned by Stuey in 1998 to pen his story, resulting in hundreds of hours of taped interviews and conversations —One of a Kind illuminates the dark genius of one of poker's most memorable figures.
He was the Jim Morrison of the casino, a legend before he was of legal age. Stuey Ungar, the son of a Jewish bookie on Manhattan's Lower East Side, dropped out of high school to become an underground card-table sensation, eventually taking out every top gin-rummy player on the East Coast. Bankrolled by the Genovese crime family, Stuey would soon travel around the country in search of new opponents and opportunities—including poker. He would go on to win the World Series of Poker a record three times. And then his luck began to run out.
One of a Kind is the startling tale of a man who won at his game and lost control of his life. Whether tossing away his winnings at the racetrack or on a single roll of the dice, Stuey was notorious for gambling every single dollar in his pocket. Though he had won an estimated $30 million in his lifetime, Stuey had no bank account, not even a home address. He was found dead in a Vegas motel—with $800 in cash on his person, the only money he had left—at the age of forty-five.
An intimate, authorized biography—Nolan Dalla was commissioned by Stuey in 1998 to pen his story, resulting in hundreds of hours of taped interviews and conversations —One of a Kind illuminates the dark genius of one of poker's most memorable figures.
316 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2005
51 people are currently reading
1021 people want to read
About the author
Nolan Dalla
6 books2 followersDalla, Media Director for the World Series of Poker, has written extensively about poker for magazines. He lives in Las Vegas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 23, 2025
Stu Unger was an incredibly fascinating, complex & tragic figure in the world of gambling. Almost anyone who plays poker had heard of the legendary Stu the Comeback Kid. Someone like Stu are bound to have loads of interesting personal & professional stories in their life. I think the author does a great job packing a lot of these stories into the chapters of this book. One thing I really like was how every few pages there are paragraphs of dialogue in Stu’s own words. These dialogues sometimes give the readers an insight into how & what Stu was thinking or feeling at a particular moment… Overall, I loved reading this biography & would recommend it to most readers.
November 6, 2022
A story of bright genius and a darkness stemming from unexamined childhood trauma. On the one hand it’s a great example of how kids can benefit from being part of the real world from a young age instead of being locked up in the grinder of mandatory formal education. Stu’s career and skill with numbers clearly benefited from being part of the daily tasks of his father’s establishment since childhood. On the other hand, no matter what success he had, he could never really escape the emptiness he was left with after a childhood of shallowness and neglect from his parents. He never really addressed this problem in himself and ended up repeating the cycle and carrying over this neglect to his son, who committed suicide. Hopefully, his daughter is doing better.
July 18, 2017
The basics of Stu Ungar's life are fairly well known: his upbringing in New York, proficiency at gin rummy, transition to poker, drug addiction, 1997 comeback and 1998 ignominious death. This book does a fantastic job of filling in the details of Stu's truly unparalleled life.
I appreciated that the author did not glorify or glamorize Ungar, whose life was cut short and made miserable by drug abuse. At the same time, it would have been unfair to paint a picture of someone who was great at poker and had a drug problem. This book does a nice job of telling the complex story of who Stu Ungar was. In addition to the poker and drugs, he was innocent and naive like a child, generous to a fault and a loving, if flawed, father.
I like to play recreational poker, mostly small buy-in tournaments. Anytime I have a good streak, I like to remind myself that the very best poker player in history - who had won over $30M - died with $800 to his name in a seedy motel across from the Stratosphere. To that end, Stu's life is a cautionary tale that it is practically impossible to make money long-term playing poker. The reason for this is simple, and can be read between the lines in this book. To win a poker, you have to be fearless. To be fearless, you have to be indifferent to, and even disrespect your own money. If you have that attitude, it's nearly impossible to hold on to your money away from the felt. Stu disrespected his money. Paradoxically, this is part of what made him a great poker player, but it also is what made him so incredibly irresponsible and incompetent with his money away from the poker tables. In turn, this is what brought so much misery to his life.
Stu Ungar was a product of innate talent, the circumstances of his upbringing and living in Las Vegas. It's unlikely that any person will ever emerge again quite like him. This is an incredible story that is stranger than fiction.
I appreciated that the author did not glorify or glamorize Ungar, whose life was cut short and made miserable by drug abuse. At the same time, it would have been unfair to paint a picture of someone who was great at poker and had a drug problem. This book does a nice job of telling the complex story of who Stu Ungar was. In addition to the poker and drugs, he was innocent and naive like a child, generous to a fault and a loving, if flawed, father.
I like to play recreational poker, mostly small buy-in tournaments. Anytime I have a good streak, I like to remind myself that the very best poker player in history - who had won over $30M - died with $800 to his name in a seedy motel across from the Stratosphere. To that end, Stu's life is a cautionary tale that it is practically impossible to make money long-term playing poker. The reason for this is simple, and can be read between the lines in this book. To win a poker, you have to be fearless. To be fearless, you have to be indifferent to, and even disrespect your own money. If you have that attitude, it's nearly impossible to hold on to your money away from the felt. Stu disrespected his money. Paradoxically, this is part of what made him a great poker player, but it also is what made him so incredibly irresponsible and incompetent with his money away from the poker tables. In turn, this is what brought so much misery to his life.
Stu Ungar was a product of innate talent, the circumstances of his upbringing and living in Las Vegas. It's unlikely that any person will ever emerge again quite like him. This is an incredible story that is stranger than fiction.
February 10, 2019
An interesting story of a talented man. I loved the history because it was so different about whatever I read or lived or heard before.
Born to bookmaker father, Stuey Ungar developed from an early age a talent for numbers. And he put his talent to work in casinos and game rooms. He became by the age of 18 a brilliant player of gin rummy and poker. At some point he got excluded from gin rummy tournaments because it was impossible to win against him. Then he turned towards poker and he won during his life time 3 WSOP, and I think he still keeps the record for the most titles. It is estimated that he won about 30 mil dollars during his life time.
Another trait that helped him win, was the fact that he didn't understood the true value of money. For a person that never had much of a personal life or life goals, money were only means to keep him into the game. All that he won, went into another game of poker, blackjack, poolrooms and cocaine.
Somehow I am thinking that his blessing was his curse at the same time. He died alone in a hotel room covered in his own vomit, high on crack that he got with borrowed money.
Or maybe he was a free man, maybe he got to know the freedom at a level we can't even dream about. He didn't care about school,family, society standards. He just cared about what he loved and he let himself killed by it.
Born to bookmaker father, Stuey Ungar developed from an early age a talent for numbers. And he put his talent to work in casinos and game rooms. He became by the age of 18 a brilliant player of gin rummy and poker. At some point he got excluded from gin rummy tournaments because it was impossible to win against him. Then he turned towards poker and he won during his life time 3 WSOP, and I think he still keeps the record for the most titles. It is estimated that he won about 30 mil dollars during his life time.
Another trait that helped him win, was the fact that he didn't understood the true value of money. For a person that never had much of a personal life or life goals, money were only means to keep him into the game. All that he won, went into another game of poker, blackjack, poolrooms and cocaine.
Somehow I am thinking that his blessing was his curse at the same time. He died alone in a hotel room covered in his own vomit, high on crack that he got with borrowed money.
Or maybe he was a free man, maybe he got to know the freedom at a level we can't even dream about. He didn't care about school,family, society standards. He just cared about what he loved and he let himself killed by it.
September 26, 2017
The Stu Ungar story is amazing. He was definitely a phenomenal genius, who reminds me so much of that other New York city brash and eccentric genius, Bobby Fischer.
The prose was solid and uninspired for the most part, but the content (Ungar's life) is drama par excellence.
In the words of chess master and poker pro Ken Smith, who would declare them while waving around his giant cowboy hat after he won a hand: "Wow, what a player!"
The prose was solid and uninspired for the most part, but the content (Ungar's life) is drama par excellence.
In the words of chess master and poker pro Ken Smith, who would declare them while waving around his giant cowboy hat after he won a hand: "Wow, what a player!"
December 6, 2022
Pretty rivetting story of one of the best players of all time! Sadly was completed addicted to drugs and sports betting and lost it all despite making $30m+ at poker. Enjoyable light read!
July 13, 2018
Enjoyed listening to this story with my husband. Fascinating and sad.
March 15, 2021
Well written, cinematic story about one of the greatest poker players ever. Sad what drugs can do to brilliant people...
August 14, 2016
A fascinating read through the life of one of the most brilliant card players of all time and one of the most tormented souls of all time. Stuey Ungar grew up in New York, looking over the shoulder of his father who was part bar owner and part bookie. He instantly fell in love with the gambling life, which would prove to be an avenue to greatness and to his downfall. Blessed with a spectacular memory and calculating mind, Stuey quickly became a darling of the NY mob, making money for them and being protected by them. There will likely never be a better gin player in the history of the world than Stuey. He was all but unbeatable at a game that involved a significant amount of luck. A case could also be made than when Stuey was engaged and sober, he was the greatest poker player of all time. Whatever he was, he could have been much more if he had been able to fill the hole in his soul that it seemed only his love for his daughter could ever cover up.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Stu Ungar, poker or the gambling life. It is a very solid effort by two of the premiere poker writers of our time. The only reason it didn't get four stars is that I want to be miserly with my four and five star ratings, saving them for the best books. This book was very good, always entertaining, well put together and highly recommended to the right audience, but less than spectacular. If I could I'd give it 3.5 stars.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Stu Ungar, poker or the gambling life. It is a very solid effort by two of the premiere poker writers of our time. The only reason it didn't get four stars is that I want to be miserly with my four and five star ratings, saving them for the best books. This book was very good, always entertaining, well put together and highly recommended to the right audience, but less than spectacular. If I could I'd give it 3.5 stars.
February 28, 2015
Be forewarned that this is less a poker book than a book about the downward spiral of an unbalanced addict who also happened to be one of the greatest card players (not just poker) ever. Ungar's rise in the poker world and his three WSOP championships are detailed, but the reader is also given a lot of insight into his demons and his ultimate destruction.
Ungar is maddening because he has this amazing talent that he ultimately throws away, and it makes the book a little depressing. Watching him waste his ability is hard to continue reading about, moreso when he makes the occasional comeback. It is also sad to see how it affects his family and prevents him from having more than a cursory relationship with his daughter.
Ungar is maddening because he has this amazing talent that he ultimately throws away, and it makes the book a little depressing. Watching him waste his ability is hard to continue reading about, moreso when he makes the occasional comeback. It is also sad to see how it affects his family and prevents him from having more than a cursory relationship with his daughter.
October 10, 2016
A journey with the young Stuey, a card playing sensation till his death upon succumbing to his drug habits. A man with an inborn talent for cards, arguably the best gin rummy player ever and possibly the best poker player to grace this world. The genius of this man is mind blowing. I am an avid poker fan and absolutely loved this detailed depiction of Stuey's life, especially his action seeking compulsion and his genius at the tables. The roller coaster life ride of this man is sickening. A must read for anyone even remotely interested in gambling or card games.
April 17, 2014
If I had the time and money, I'd be dead from gambling and any number of other addictions that destroyed Stuey Ungar. If not for the grace of God, this would be my story--except I wouldn't have won as much money or as many bracelets as Ungar did. I don't have anything like that talent. What I have is the same kind of hunger for action and the same kind of broken heart that refuses to be filled with the kind of everyday happiness that life has to offer.
May he rest in peace.
May he rest in peace.
April 28, 2021
This is why I listen to audiobooks.
There is no way reading this book can give you the picture of Stu Ungar because this audiobook uses a lot of Ungar's real voice from interviews he gave.
Sadly it is another version of someone with such a particular skill but could not translate into living outside of the gambling world.
There is no way reading this book can give you the picture of Stu Ungar because this audiobook uses a lot of Ungar's real voice from interviews he gave.
Sadly it is another version of someone with such a particular skill but could not translate into living outside of the gambling world.
October 18, 2009
The rise and fall of Stuey Ungar: such a depressing waste of... everything.
May 26, 2024
This is one of the better biographies I have read. The author began assisting Stuey Ungar with writing a memoir before he died and then finished it as a biography, injecting Stuey's own statements throughout the work with pinpoint accuracy. This was a read I had a very hard time putting down.
Stuey Ungar's life is one of absence and avoidance of being alone, at least that is how I take it. Born with a natural gift towards card playing and ability to read people but unfortunately mixed with a need for attachment, likely due to an absence of closeness he grew up with, made for a broken soul. This talent grew out of the environment he was born in to, a father who owned a bar that ran as a bookie and gaming parlor. In that setting his appetite was nurtured then grew as his natural talents evolved.
This book takes you on a journey of one who was consistently trying to fill a void that could never be filled. He would win large sums of money at gin or poker only to dump it all on sports betting or the races then start over. It's not hard to see how that could happen, the need for instant gratification. You put money on sports or races and you are suddenly not alone, you are in the game or race, you are not lonely and the feeling of it being a grind isn't as bad. That is until the game or race is over. Then you look for the next connection.
It was only when the drugs finally took hold that his downfall really began and finally ended it. Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson did an amazing job telling Stu Ungar's story. 5 stars all the way, highly recommended.
Stuey Ungar's life is one of absence and avoidance of being alone, at least that is how I take it. Born with a natural gift towards card playing and ability to read people but unfortunately mixed with a need for attachment, likely due to an absence of closeness he grew up with, made for a broken soul. This talent grew out of the environment he was born in to, a father who owned a bar that ran as a bookie and gaming parlor. In that setting his appetite was nurtured then grew as his natural talents evolved.
This book takes you on a journey of one who was consistently trying to fill a void that could never be filled. He would win large sums of money at gin or poker only to dump it all on sports betting or the races then start over. It's not hard to see how that could happen, the need for instant gratification. You put money on sports or races and you are suddenly not alone, you are in the game or race, you are not lonely and the feeling of it being a grind isn't as bad. That is until the game or race is over. Then you look for the next connection.
It was only when the drugs finally took hold that his downfall really began and finally ended it. Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson did an amazing job telling Stu Ungar's story. 5 stars all the way, highly recommended.
February 11, 2022
There's always a concern when you read a biography of a celebrity as to what you're going to get. This one was even more of a concern because the book started out with Stuey Ungar's blessing for Nolan Dalla to write about him. When Stuey died, Dalla brought in Alson to assist. Any concerns ended up unwarranted because this is an excellent, no-holds-barred bio of a man who was almost unquestionably the greatest Gin player ever, who was arguably the greatest Poker player ever, and who was one of the greatest Blackjack players of his day. For all that Stu Ungar was near the pinnacle of all-time card players, as Stu's long-time friend Mike Sexton said “In the game of life, Stu Ungar was a loser.”
This is a very good bio of a complex and ultimately sad man. A brilliant card-player who was so good at gin that he simply couldn't get anyone to play him even with significant handicaps. Who is the only person to ever win the Main Event at the World Series of Poker three times (Johnny Moss' first "win" was by vote). Who won outright 10 of the thirty high stakes poker tournaments that he entered in his career. Who was so good at blackjack he was largely banned from playing in any casino because he could count a five deck boot without help. And who was a degenerate gambler who blew the millions he made on sports betting, betting on ridiculous golf bets and stuffing the cocaine that eventually killed him up his nose and died in a flop motel worth approximately $800.
Ungar fit a few lifetimes in to his 45 years. And Dalla and Alson really don't hold back. They had the assistance of Ungar's ex-wife and daughter, of Ungar's good friend Mike Sexton and of poker luminaries like Doyle Brunson. This is neither hagiography nor muck-racking, but a hard look at a hard life lived by a brilliant man...un-brilliantly.
If you've ever had any interest in poker, you need to read this. Ungar was part of the new breed of uber-aggressive poker player a decade before it was the norm. And he is still, probably the best to ever play the game.
This is a very good bio of a complex and ultimately sad man. A brilliant card-player who was so good at gin that he simply couldn't get anyone to play him even with significant handicaps. Who is the only person to ever win the Main Event at the World Series of Poker three times (Johnny Moss' first "win" was by vote). Who won outright 10 of the thirty high stakes poker tournaments that he entered in his career. Who was so good at blackjack he was largely banned from playing in any casino because he could count a five deck boot without help. And who was a degenerate gambler who blew the millions he made on sports betting, betting on ridiculous golf bets and stuffing the cocaine that eventually killed him up his nose and died in a flop motel worth approximately $800.
Ungar fit a few lifetimes in to his 45 years. And Dalla and Alson really don't hold back. They had the assistance of Ungar's ex-wife and daughter, of Ungar's good friend Mike Sexton and of poker luminaries like Doyle Brunson. This is neither hagiography nor muck-racking, but a hard look at a hard life lived by a brilliant man...un-brilliantly.
If you've ever had any interest in poker, you need to read this. Ungar was part of the new breed of uber-aggressive poker player a decade before it was the norm. And he is still, probably the best to ever play the game.
July 18, 2025
I've always had a weird soft spot in my heart for the World Series of Poker, and this book presented a great opportunity to learn more about one of the game's all-time greats. If you're looking for a heartwarming story about someone with immense, inexplicable talent rising up from obscurity and overcoming immense odds to become the biggest name in poker, and nothing more, you'll want to stop reading this book about two-thirds of the way in. What follows is an unflinching documentation of someone deemed larger than life crashing spectacularly back down to earth. Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson are unflinching in their presentation of all the facets of Stuey Ungar's roller coaster of a life. Dalla's efforts are even more impressive, as this book was started as a memoir that he was helping Ungar write before his death. I loved this book, even as the authors carry you through the long, slow march towards a predictable and unfortunate conclusion.
June 29, 2025
Absolutely blows my mind to think that some people in the world are living so fast while I work my 9-5. It’s so hard for me to fathom what it feels like to be down 1 million in a day, recuperate 2 million in the next, and to lose it all again the following day. I definitely glorify professional poker players for their rock star lifestyles but the seedy underbelly behind the game is sobering. It feels as though once you’re in it it’s impossible to get out even when surrounded by loving family and loyal friends a la Stu Unger. Reading about his descend was sad as his life would turn completely 180 given his talent if he actually put his foot down to quit the addiction to sports betting and drug consumption. I’m especially saddened by the fact that the love for he had for his daughter was outlasted by the addiction demon.
June 22, 2018
What can I say? I really sympathised with this story, Stuey Ungar was not your average human being, with a disparate upbringing, a bookmaker for a father and a mother with a hopeless penchant for cardplaying, he plied his trade in the smoke-filled card dens of New York amongst the mafia and riff-raff, that would eventually shape his life and unfortunately his habits. He epitomized the life of a gambler in every way, a millionaire one day at the casino, broke the following day at the track, a cycle he ultimately could never break. Even with a loving wife and children, he was all too obsessed with ACTION and of course his other vice; Cocaine, which became the bane of his existence and all but killed him. Sadly like most geniuses, he was a lonesome tortured soul.
May 17, 2021
Awesome read. So gripping and interesting. It's a world I have only a surface level knowledge of, but it is absolutely fascinating. Stuey is a man of contradictions like no other. I'm grateful to have learned a bit about his story.
The writing was excellent, the details were rich, and the lessons were clear. Sometimes the analysis felt a bit lacking in that Stuey's personality changed dramatically over different points of his life and the authors didn't always offer a cogent story as to why he changed so mightily. But, overall a captivating read about a 3-time World Series of Poker champ, a lifelong thrill-seeker, and a deeply feeling person whose feelings were often tragically misplaced.
The writing was excellent, the details were rich, and the lessons were clear. Sometimes the analysis felt a bit lacking in that Stuey's personality changed dramatically over different points of his life and the authors didn't always offer a cogent story as to why he changed so mightily. But, overall a captivating read about a 3-time World Series of Poker champ, a lifelong thrill-seeker, and a deeply feeling person whose feelings were often tragically misplaced.
June 1, 2023
4.5 stars (rounded down). I loved this biography of Stuey Ungar. The book itself is mostly fine -- a quick read that covers the basics of his life. The material is really what makes this a good read. Everything that Stu went through -- all of his ups and (many more) downs. I already knew the basic story of him but getting the additional background around his various WSOP wins was super interesting. I hit my record consecutive days reading streak reading through this book -- kept me coming back.
January 30, 2021
This is a book that I've been wanting to read for a while but forgot all about it until I saw it on Thriftbooks.com recently and bought it. I knew a little about Stu Ungar and his story but his story is fascinating. I love poker, especially Texas Holdem, but even someone who isn't a fan of poker can still appreciate this story.
September 21, 2021
Kept putting this off bc I didn't want to read endless mechanics or play-by-play of every poker hand gamed [I enjoy poker but without hole cam(s) or on-[t.v.]screen text I cannot stay interested keep up] but to my surprise there's little analyzing suits/interpreting value.
No technical dialect, No theatrics, just native, absolute cautionary tale (through & through).
No technical dialect, No theatrics, just native, absolute cautionary tale (through & through).
July 6, 2023
A good read, chronicling the life of arguably one of the best Tournament poker players of all time, albeit someone who lived for the rush and suffered terribly from drug addiction and other gambling losses, leaving him penniless at the time of his death despite having won tens of millions of dollars through his life from Poker as well as Gin
December 15, 2018
One of the most entertaining biographies I've ever read. Dalla has not received proper credit for the most humanizing and soulful look at the most fascinating gambler that ever lived. I don't normally read books twice but undoubtedly will with this one. First rate across the board.
April 4, 2022
Besides the chapter on his final victory, I found this was a really good bio/true-life story written for a general audience. Poker fans will like it, probably, but I'd say you don't need to know anything about poker to appreciate it.
December 11, 2024
Well written and well researched handles all the ups and downs of Stueys life in a neutral way without judgement. A fascinating look into a very odd world, and one that no longer exists. Shame Stuey couldn't beat his demons.
August 20, 2025
I wasn't sure this was going to be a book I was going to like at all. I know nearly nothing about gambling, and it's not something I ever do; however, Stuey's story was compelling. He had such an interesting life, and this book does a good job showcasing it all.
September 15, 2025
2023 - Read the entire flight to California and finished it in one sitting. The best book about poker I have ever read. Told from his own voice and Peter/Nolan's, partially with hope that his daughter wouldn't follow in his footsteps. Very bittersweet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews