Note: Last week, Stu Ungar would have celebrated his 59th birthday (Birthdate — September 8, 1953).
The short-lived Players Television Network debuted at the 2005 World Series of Poker.
I was asked to moderate two panel discussions, which were later broadcast via “On Demand.” The first show was on the late-great poker legend Stu Ungar. The second show was a panel discussion about the business of online poker.
I wasn’t at all prepared to assume the role of moderator. I recall leaving the rigors of my job at the WSOP for an hour or so, getting abruptly fitted with a microphone, and then walking out and taking a seat in front of a live studio audience and rolling television cameras with no script.
The good thing about the unrehearsed format is that everything was spontaneous. The bad thing is the show could have been much crisper had I been prepared. Looking back now, I certainly would have asked more penetrating questions than what appears here.
Fortunately, the four guests who appeared on the Stu Ungar segment were outstanding. Madeline Ungar (Stuey’s former wife), Stefanie Ungar (Stuey’s Daughter), Larry Grossman (Las Vegas radio personality and gambling authority), and Peter Alson (writer and my co-author on Stuey’s biography One of a Kind) were all in top form.
In the coming weeks and months ahead, from time to time, I’ll be writing more about my personal recollections of Ungar — particularly during that tragic final year of his life when I spent the most time with him. I look forward to telling some stories that were not included in the book which might interest poker fans.
In the meantime, here’s the panel discussion from 2005 that runs about 30 minutes in length.
Writer’s Note: This marks the first time I’ve written about the events of September 11, 2001. I resided at 1201 South Eads Street, located in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia. My ninth-floor residence at The Bennington overlooked the Pentagon. I remember that morning.
“It’s like the story of the Golden Temple: A guy fell in love with it and burned it down. He couldn’t stand the idea of it falling apart as it got older, and now the Golden Temple exists in perfect form forever. It became a myth.”
Several of Las Vegas’ top musicians — virtually all of whom play the expensive headliner shows at the biggest casinos — gather from time to time and put on an impromptu jamming session. Led by longtime bandleader and trumpeter Lon Bronson, his “All-Star Band” often has a dozen or more of the best session musicians in the city on a single stage.
This is the story of a man I barely know and how that man changed my life. He died of cancer in October 202o. I was blessed to be able to speak at his funeral in Seattle and tell others how wonderful he was. R.I.P.
Labor Day means to recognize and applaud the working class who built this country with their caloused hands, leathered skin, and broken backs — and who now strive to ensure that our society remains vibrant. This day serves as a reminder that the American middle class was created largely by the efforts of those in the labor movement during the first half of the 20th Century.
