Stu Ungar & Crsipy Lineta
Derek sent me this e-mail: "Hey, I was watching ESPN this morning and they had this extended cover story on a guy named Steve (Stu) Ungar. have you heard of him? He was this great poker player who died a few years ago at age 45. He last won a tourney in 1997. He won the World Series of Poker at Binions. He didn't have the entry fee b/c he was broke and spent all his money on drugs, so another poker player paid his fee and he ended up winning. He split the pot with the guy but spent all of it on drugs, etc before the 1998 (WSoP) tourney rolled around and he died shortly afterwards. He never entered the 1998 (WSoP) tourney . . . . he made it to Binions that year but couldn't make it out of his hotel room. Did you see the story? It was a good story piece on him, his drug abuse, his gambling and his daughter. Everyone said he was the best (poker player ever). His nose was all fucked up towards the end of his life. Too much cocaine abuse. They said he won over $300 million dollars in poker tourney (and side) games but died with only $800 in his pocket. Crazy story. It reminded me of your Crsipy Lineta stories in Truckin'."
Well, I saw that clip on ESPN and it's a sad story. I guess ESPN is hyping up their last 2 hours of the 2003 World Series of Poker coverage on Tuesdays nights at 9 PM EST. At any rate, the Crsipy Lineta story is loosely based on the life of Stu Ungar, a guy that I never met personally, but just like in the Truckin' story, I once saw the "Champ" at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1994. There is a serious dark side to the poker world and Stu Ungar was one of the casualities of a fast life and fast cash.
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