The main reason why Stu Ungar switched from gin rummy to poker was that he was a little too good at it. So good in fact, that no one could stand up to him.Even the so-called professionals who were meant to be the best at gin rummy were demolished when they played against Stu Ungar. One such gin rummy player was Harry Stein, nicknamed, "Yonkie". Harry Stein suffered such a humiliating defeat at the hands of Stu Ungar that he allegedly quit playing it professionally and never resurfaced at gin rummy tournaments.

Of course, with a reputation like that it was not long before people became shy of playing against Stu Ungar. He could find no matches and in his desperation he started doing something no one had done before. He offered startling handicaps to potential opponents in the hope that they might play against him if they believed they had an advantage. He deliberately played from a disadvantageous position and one story has it that he even played against a consistent cheater. During the game, he received warning that the cheater was at it again but Stu Ungar assured that he was aware of the cheating and he would still win, which he did, of course. The same trend followed Stu Ungar into Las Vegas. He won so much that the casinos started asking him not to play on their respective premises anymore. The reason was that other casino customers refused to sit at the table if he were playing. Stu Ungar is remembered better for his accomplishments in texas holdem poker but he himself always maintained that he was far better at gin rummy. He defeated Doyle Brunson in the World Series of Poker in 1980 to become the youngest world champion. Due to his features that made him appear far younger than he really was, he was nicknamed, "The Kid".