Stu Ungar: Big Bluff in the 1997 WSOP

The nineties weren’t kind to Stu Ungar. After his wins in 1980 and ’81, he had the cash to fuel his action-driven habits. His sports betting climbed to previously uncharted heights, often seeing the Kid bet five figures on every game on the board. Sadly, the gambling was the lesser of two evils.

Stuey’s battle with drugs contradicted his upbringing. His mother’s drug abuse had made Stuey swear to never touch the stuff, but life moves pretty fast for a two-time world champion of poker living in Las Vegas. By the time the 1997 World Series rolled around, the slightly built Ungar was looking anemic. His clothes could have held two of him. Oversized blue-tinted John Lennon glasses hung low on his face, hiding a nostril caved in by the coke wearing away at the cartilage. Still, he had one last run in him.

Staked by Billy Baxter, Stuey looked worn down. He started slowly, almost getting eliminated half way through the day before staging a comeback to finish the first day with over $40K. The momentum kept building until he entered final table play with a huge lead. He was the talk of Vegas leading up to what may have been the key hand of the tournament: His bluff of Ron Stanley.

Stanley arrived for the big day decked out in a tuxedo, sneakers and a baseball cap. He looked comical. Worse, the getup was hardly optimal for a man hoping to play some ten hours of poker in the Vegas sun. In 1997, for the first and last time, the final table was held outside at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside Binion’s Horseshoe. If you’ve never been there, Vegas in May is hotter than hot. The devil himself has been known to complain about the Vegas heat.

With four players left, Stanley limped from the small blind with 9d-7d, giving Stuey a free flop. Pairing his nine, chose to check with second pair instead of making a feeler bet. Considering Ungar’s pre-flop check, it was unlikely he was holding a higher pair or an ace. Stanley probably should have won the hand right here.

Instead, Stuey got another free card, this time 8c, giving him an inside straight draw. With a gutshot of his own, Ron made a meager $25K bet, which Ungar quickly raised another $60k. Ron thought for a little too long before calling. The Indecision would prove crucial on the river.

Kdbrought neither player any help. For Stanley, it was another over-card, and therefore another reason to fear he was losing. Ron checked and Ungar bet $220K, a little more than what was already in the pot. Ron went through the motions and then finally decided he couldn’t win, mucking his hand to Ungar’s queen-high. Stuey showed the bluff to rub a little more salt into the wound. Ten broadcast minutes later, Stanley was out, left with his tuxedo and a story about how he got bluffed out of the World Series by arguably the best poker player ever.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at how Ungar finished the job against runner-up John Strzemp before we finish the week off Wednesday. Be sure to check back in for all the details. Until then, nut rivers,

Gary Wise

gary@wisehandpoker.com

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