Overview

He was a legend before he was of legal age. Stuey Ungar 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, Ungar went on to win the World Series of Poker a record three times--then his luck began to run out. Nolan Dalla was commissioned by Ungar in 1998 to pen his story, resulting in hundreds of hours of taped interviews and conversations. Notorious for gambling every single dollar in his pocket, Ungar won an estimated $30 million in his lifetime, but when he was found dead in a Las Vegas motel at the age of forty-five, he had only $800 in cash on his person, with no bank account or home address. One of a Kind is the startling tale of a man who won at his game and lost control of his life.

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9781433222863

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"""A fascinating, cautionary tale."" -- ""Chicago Tribune"" ""A standout among this year's bumper crop of poker books."" -- ""New York magazine"" [A] heartfelt, respectful, and accepting biography. -- ""Publishers Weekly"" A well-written and well-researched study of the most naturally gifted and emotionally stunted card genius in the history of poker. -- ""A. Alvarez, author of The Biggest Game in Town"" Even though Stuey Ungar was perhaps the greatest poker player ever to live, his talent at card playing wasn't close to being his most compelling characteristic. Stuey was a little bit of a gangster, genius, madman, tragic hero, and cardsharp. Add it all up, as Dalla and Alson have done in captivating style, and you get one of the most unusual characters to ever appear on the Vegas scene. -- ""Andy Bellin, author of Poker Nation"" One of a Kind is a lesson in no-limit hold'em as well as a terrifying pleasure. -- ""James McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street"""

[A] heartfelt, respectful and accepting biography.

Even though Stuey Ungar was perhaps the greatest poker player ever to live, his talent at card playing wasn't close to being his most compelling characteristic. Stuey was a little bit of a gangster, genius, madman, tragic hero, and cardsharp. Add it all up, as Dalla and Alson have done in captivating style, and you get one of the most unusual characters to ever appear on the Vegas scene. -- Andy Bellin, author of Poker Nation A well-written and well-researched study of the most naturally gifted and emotionally stunted card genius in the history of poker. -- A. Alvarez, author of The Biggest Game in Town One of a Kind is a lesson in no-limit hold'em as well as a terrifying pleasure. -- James McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street [A] heartfelt, respectful, and accepting biography. -- Publishers Weekly A standout among this year's bumper crop of poker books. -- New York magazine A fascinating, cautionary tale. -- Chicago Tribune

Author Information

Nolan Dalla is the lead sports handicapper for Casino Player and has written for Gambling Times, Card Player, Poker Digest, Poker Pages, Poker Player, and The Intelligent Gambler. He was the head of public relations for Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas and is now media director for the World Series of Poker. A native Texan, he currently resides in Las Vegas. Peter Alson is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie, which chronicles his life from Harvard to the back rooms of an illegal book-making operation. His work has appeared in a wide range of national magazines, including Esquire, Playboy, and the New York Times Magazine. A native New Yorker, he currently resides in Brooklyn. Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.

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