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The Rise and Fall of Stuey
Product
One of a Kind by Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson
Hits
- Extremely well researched
- Excellent portrayal of 1950s New York gambling culture and the early poker scene in Vegas
- Great quotes and anecdotes
- Personal
Misses
- Vague on details of Stuey's demise into drug addiction
- A bit too sugar coated
Review
In this exhaustively researched authorized biography, authors Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson provide a stunning portrayal of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar through well written prose and the use of personal quotes. Dalla and Alson mercilessly address and explore Stuey's life from his early childhood in the mafia-run bookmaking bars of 1950s New York to his last days in the treacherous crack dens of Las Vegas.
Weighing in at just 5"5, 100 pounds, "The World's Best Poker Player" is the only person to have ever won three WSOP Main Events and is credited with having pulled off the comeback of a lifetime. A fast talking card shark with a true zest for life and a kind heart, Ungar possessed an uncanny ability to kick any opponent's butt regardless of their experience or skill level. His natural talents enabled him to champion both the competitive gin rummy and poker circuits - to this day an unparalleled feat.
In this book, readers will get a true feel for Ungar's joie de vivre, generosity, kindness, expansiveness of spirit, lust for life, and love of family. Indeed, the light-hearted, breezy tone employed by the authors seems to highlight Stuey's positive character traits along with his impeccable card genius and unrivalled mathematical skills, which dominate and sweep his degenerative qualities as a gambler, drug addict, poor money-manager, and emotional illiterate into a little bit of a dark corner. What does come through, however, is that Ungar's prowess for action was as intense as his inability to exercise self-control over his various addictions and volatile personal life.
This novel comes highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested in Stuey "The Kid" Ungar. Enclosed are some of the most intimate details of his life as told by Ungar, his beloved daughter Stefanie and one-time partner Madeline, his friends, associates, and opponents.
The non-fiction work is introduced with a foreword by World Poker Tour host, pro player, and Ungar confidant Mike Sexton. It consists of 19 chapters and an epilogue, and boasts an 'Acknowledgements' section that reads like a who's who of the poker world, including contributions by Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, James McManus, A. Alvarez, Linda Johnson, Erik Seidel, Andy Bellin, Barry Shulman, Jeff Shulman, Billy Baxter, Lou Krieger, Amarillo Slim Preston, Phil Hellmuth, Bob Stupak, Bobby Baldwin, Gabe Kaplan, Puggy Pearson, and Danny Robison.
It reads 296 pages in total.
Details:
- Hardcover $16.50
Atria Books
