The main basis for why Mr. Ungar changed from gin to poker was that he was a bit too skilled at it. So skilled in fact, that no player possibly could stand up to him. Even the apparently experts who were supposed to be the most favorable at gin rummy were crushed when they played with Stu Ungar. One such gin professionals was Harry Stein, nicknamed, "Yonkie". Harry was handed such a belittling defeat at the hands of Stu Ungar that he allegedly quit playing it as a pro and never showed up at a gin rummy tournament.
Certainly, with a honor like that it was not long before everyone became weary of gambling against Stu Ungar. He could find no games and in his boredom he began doing something no one had performed prior. Stu offered beginning handicaps to likely opponents with the high hopes that they might compete opposed to him if they believed they held an advantage. He deliberately began from a disadvantageous arrangement and one story has it that stu even competed with a consistent cheater. During the match, he received advice that the bad egg was at it yet again but stu stated that he knew of the fraudulent activity and he would still acquire a win, which of course, he did.
The same trend followed Stu Ungar to sin city. He won so often that the poker rooms began requesting that he not to play in their rooms anymore. The reasoning behind it was that other poker room players would not be seated at the poker table if he were playing.
Stu Ungar is recalled better for his abilities in texas hold’em poker but he himself always maintained that he was considerably more skilled at gin rummy.
He defeated Doyle Brunson in the WSOP in 1980 and became the youngest world camp. Due to his features that made him seem far younger than he was, he got the nickname, "The Kid".
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