Bob Stupak
| Bob Stupak | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | The Polish Maverick |
| Born |
April 6, 1942 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2009 (aged 67) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 8 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
None |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
Robert Edward "Bob" Stupak (April 6, 1942 – September 25, 2009) was a Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur. He was also a poker player, winning titles at the World Series of Poker and the Super Bowl of Poker. He also competed on the World Poker Tour, and various other tournaments, as well as cash games, including High Stakes Poker on GSN. He once played a computer for half a million dollars and won.
Bob Stupak was the son of Chester and Florence Stupak. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chester Stupak ran a dice game called the Lotus Club in Pittsburgh for over 50 years. Stupak as a teenager was mainly interested in motorcycle racing, and once ranked 3rd in the world after breaking a speed record.
As a young adult, Stupak moved to Australia to try to find his fortune. At the age of 21, Stupak lived in Melbourne and worked in the advertising industry.
While in Australia, Stupak was briefly married to Annette Suna, and they had a daughter, Nicole. From 1971 to 1985, Stupak was married to Sandra Joyce Wilkinson, and had two more children, Nevada and Summer.
Stupak moved to Las Vegas in 1971. He bought the Vault casino in downtown and changed its name to Glitter Gultch. He created a cowgirl sign named Vegas Vicki for the casino to compete with the Vegas Vic sign across Fremont Street at the Pioneer Club. Stupak acquired a small, 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) parcel north of Sahara Avenue at Las Vegas Boulevard South. On March 31, 1974, Bob Stupak's World Famous Historic Gambling Museum opened. "The name was about 10 ft (3.0 m) longer than the casino," Stupak recalled years later. On May 21, an air conditioner caught fire and the building burned down.
Two years later, Vally Bank's Perry Thomas loaned Stupak a million dollars to build the original Vegas World on the site of the former gambling museum. In 1979. Stupak opened Bob Stupak's Vegas World hotel and casino known for its promotions and the world's largest sign (which later blew down in a wind storm), and new twists on games, including the world's first quarter million and million dollar jackpot. At its peak in the mid-1980s, Vegas World grossed in excess of $100 million per year. In the meantime, Stupak donated $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund in exchange for a chance to play with the Harlem Globetrotters. He got his wish, and his appearance on the court in a Globetrotters uniform during one of their games shooting hoops made international news.
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