Born September 8, 1953, Manhattan, New York City, NY. Stuart Errol Ungar was a professional poker, blackjack, and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin player of all time.

image source: Sporty Ghost 

There's a plethora Stu Ungar stories from his glory years, and a few think about him the best tournament poker player that ever lived. However, what's maybe Stu's most illustrious hand occurred during a wide-awake tournament against powerful series Main Event champion Monsour Matloubi in 1990. Ungar challenged Matloubi to a wide-awake $50,000 freezeout in a shot to prove he may have won the tournament once having bombed out by overdosing on cocain throughout the night before the third day of the tournament. The hand went down as follows:

Stacks: Ungar: ~60,000; Matloubi: ~40,000

Blinds: 200/400

Hands: Matloubi holds 5-4 offsuit with the BB Ungar has 10-9 offsuit with  the little blind (the button).

Preflop: Ungar raises to 1,600 within the little blind, Matloubi calls.

Ungar is sitting on one hundred fifty BBs and Matloubi on a hundred bbs, thus each players square measure terribly deep-stacked with loads of wide-awake play left. Ungar makes a customary raise of 4x with 10-9 offsuit. Normally, the quality raise to form in position heads up is a pair of.5-3 counting on blind level, stack sizes and player. thanks to the blinds level, relative to the stack sizes, a 4x raise is appropriate here. Matloubi makes a questionable decision with a hand adore 5-4 off, that may be a hand that may play terribly dangerous against an honest wide-awake opponent whereas out of position.

Flop  3-3-7 rainbow 

Action: Matloubi checks, Ungar bets half-dozen,000, Matloubi calls.

For a few reasons, Ungar bets out virtually double the pot. This simply does not build any sense. If he needs to make fold equity he will merely fireplace a standard bet of concerning a pair of, 2 and acquire identical quantity of folds because the half-dozen bets would turn out. As a result of his bet is huge, Matloubi is obtaining terrible odds on his draw, creating his flop decision arguably worse than his preflop decision, unless he has some form of browse therein he thinks Ungar can solely overbet the pot with air. Considering Ungar was famous for his all-ins and overbets, this looks unlikely and leads Pine Tree State to believe Matloubi is just taking part in dangerous.

The flop's texture will eliminates any open-ended straight draws or flush draws. Matloubi has flopped a gutshot draw, associated decides to check-call an overbet by Ungar. Ungar is also creating an outsized bet to realize info here. whereas a bet of [*fr1] to simple fraction the pot is commonplace and spare, several players pick associate overpot bet, to induce one among 2 reactions from the opponent, a check-raise or fold. Matloubi calls the massive bet, perhaps hoping to bluff on a later street or spike a six, knowing that Ungar's over-bet means that, presumably, that he does not have a 3 or seven. Ungar realizes at this time that Matloubi most likely does not have a seven either, as a result of with a seven, that may be a powerful holding wide-awake, Matloubi would positively be raising.

Turn (pot fifteen,200): K, board still rainbow

Action: Matloubi checks, Ungar checks.

On the king flip "who truly would not mind seeing a second bet from Ungar since it's a wonderful scare card", instead he opts to see, that I assume is okay however I actually suppose this is often the sort of scare card aggressive players got to bet, since it'll get them paid after they do hit with a king on the flip. Matloubi checks behind, that is okay for him, since Ungar features absolutely no reason to suppose Matloubi has a single hand in his vary that contains a king.

Each player checks the flip, the flip card being a K does not extremely modification true. Matloubi's check here is also associate intention to see raise or simply take a free card. Ungar might even see Matloubi's appeal the flop as a doable 3 here currently stable gear for one more bet.

River  Q

Action: Matloubi moves allin for a concerning 32,000 and Ungar calls at intervals a couple of seconds, declaring, "You've either got 4-5 or 5-6, I call." Ungar then flips up his 10-high to pull the $100,000 pot.

Key points to that call...

The river brings a queen, another form of scare card, and Matloubi look weak. I cannot categorical however dangerous this shove is. there's no approach a thinking player ever takes this line with something that creates sense here, except perhaps, exactly A-A. no one limp-calls preflop, flat-calls the flop, checks behind on the flip, then shoves for 2 times the pot on the stream with a true hand. If Matloubi features a hand he needs to induce price from he'll bet one thing like $10,000. due to Matloubi's terrible line during this hand Ungar is in a position to place the items along and build a really sick calldown. additional surprisingly, this hand leaves many wondering… however well Ungar compete or however awful Matloubi did.

Matloubi moves for double the pot.. it's a noteworthy move that may get several non-thinking players to fold. Matloubi's thinking method tells him that Ungar is weak, and a powerful bet can presumably get him to muck, and if he bet 9-11K instead, Ungar is capable of going tired as a bluff and Matloubi will not be ready to decision with 5-high. Ungar should have questioned why Matloubi would be shoving with a 3 or any try, wherever Matloubi may presumably value-bet and acquire the decision with a raise. Ungar has gathered enough info to place Matloubi on a hand that known as associate overbet on the flop, checked the flop and over-shoved the river, therefore creating a decision with 10-high against Matloubi's doable 4-5 or 5-6 a viable play. Matloubi's play here is effective and can work presumably 90% of the time or additional, except that this point he found a worthy opponent. The Man.. The Legend.. Stu Ungar!