Suey ungar Book

I was going to order from Amazon the book "One of a Kind : The Rise and Fall of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player". However, I see there is another book called "Man Behind the Shades : The Rise and Fall of Stuey 'the Kid' Ungar, Poker's Greatest Player". Both are by Nolan dalla. Is there any difference between these two books???

[Jordan Olsommer]

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Both are by Nolan dalla. Is there any difference between these two books???

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Yes, substantial difference - the "One of a Kind" Stu Ungar biography by Nolan Dalla is excellent; the "Man Behind the Shades" Stu Ungar biography by Nolan Dalla, however, is a complete piece of crap.

They're the same. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[jjnidguy]

I cant tell you the difference between them, but im in the middle of reading "one of a kind" right now.

it is pretty damn phenomenal and incredibly interesting.

i cant put it down. it really gives you an awesome glimpse into high stakes gin in the 60s and poker in the 70s/80s. It makes the movie 'high roller' look like complete crap

[TaoTe]

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It makes the movie 'high roller' look like complete crap

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There didn't need to be a book for that movie to look like that.

[MonkeeMan]

Suey, pig, pig, pig!

They could have named it "Action Jackson", man what a freak.

Never heard about the big racetrack carryover score before. I would have been in hog's heaven.

Suey, pig, pig, pig!

[SNOWBALL138]

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It makes the movie 'high roller' look like complete crap


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There didn't need to be a book for that movie to look like that.



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[SNOWBALL138]

I don't know if these books are the same. However, I would like to take a minute and detract from one of a kind.

This is not an impressive book. The writing is poor and pulp-like. The authors favor spectacle over substance, and are totally uninterested in debunking ANY Stuey myths. This book could have more redeeming value if they at least gave some insight into the strategy behind the many games (sports betting, blackjack, poker, gin) that are played in the movie.

This book is like Bringing Down the House minus the card counting essay at the end. There is a lot of material in this book that will cause you to say "is that really true or is that just hearsay, embellishment, and creative liscense?" or "how could the authors or anyone else even know that.?"

In short, if you enjoy biographies with pulpy writing and dubious truth value, then this book is for you.

Best,
Snowball

[npc]

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I don't know if these books are the same. However, I would like to take a minute and detract from one of a kind.

This is not an impressive book. The writing is poor and pulp-like.

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I disagree. I believe the writing is straightforward and doesn't try to embellish the story. It looks to me like the goal of the writers is to use their writing to tell the story, rather than to impress us with mellifluous prose. I think it works.

Also, I don't know what you mean by "pulp-like". The writing here is much more straightforward than most pulp novel writers I've read.

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The authors favor spectacle over substance, and are totally uninterested in debunking ANY Stuey myths.

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These two complaints seem to be somewhat at odds with each other. I disagree with the "spectacle over substance" comment. I believe the authors go to great lengths to avoid hyperbole. You're right that they aren't interested in explicitly debunking Stuey myths, but I think they succeed in doing so by omission. It looks to me like they were very careful to include only what they could prove. I'm not upset that they didn't mention a litany of stories that didn't occur.

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This book could have more redeeming value if they at least gave some insight into the strategy behind the many games (sports betting, blackjack, poker, gin) that are played in the movie.

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You're absolutely right that it is in no way a strategy book, but I don't think this is a fault of the book. It doesn't try to be a strategy book. Moreover, Stuey wasn't one to disclose his secrets. Further, in many cases, I'm not sure he (or anyone) could clearly explain how he came to be so good at some of these games. I'd love to learn what he knew about Gin, but I think he took his best tricks to the grave with him.

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This book is like Bringing Down the House minus the card counting essay at the end. There is a lot of material in this book that will cause you to say "is that really true or is that just hearsay, embellishment, and creative liscense?" or "how could the authors or anyone else even know that.?"


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Dalla spent many hours talking to Stuey himself before his death. He also spent many hours talking to Stuey's friends and family. That's why I think this book will always be the number one story of Ungar's life. The authors had inside information and insight that nobody else will ever come close to.

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In short, if you enjoy biographies with pulpy writing and dubious truth value, then this book is for you.


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"Dubious truth value"? I will state categorically that this accusation is unfair.

[MonkeeMan]

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In short, if you enjoy biographies with pulpy writing and dubious truth value, then this book is for you.



[/ QUOTE ] "Dubious truth value"? I will state categorically that this accusation is unfair.

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C'mon Snowball, give us the true lowdown on The Kid. I love hearing these insider stories from people with firshand knowledge, so let's hear how it really was.

[Timer]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if these books are the same. However, I would like to take a minute and detract from one of a kind.

This is not an impressive book. The writing is poor and pulp-like. The authors favor spectacle over substance, and are totally uninterested in debunking ANY Stuey myths. This book could have more redeeming value if they at least gave some insight into the strategy behind the many games (sports betting, blackjack, poker, gin) that are played in the movie.

This book is like Bringing Down the House minus the card counting essay at the end. There is a lot of material in this book that will cause you to say "is that really true or is that just hearsay, embellishment, and creative liscense?" or "how could the authors or anyone else even know that.?"

In short, if you enjoy biographies with pulpy writing and dubious truth value, then this book is for you.

Best,
Snowball

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You don't have any idea what you're talking about.