Gus Hansen

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Gus Hansen
Image:Gushansen.jpg
Gus Hansen in the Full Tilt Poker Invitational
Nickname(s) The Great Dane
Gatling Gun
Gamblin' Gus
Mad Gus
Hometown Copenhagen, Denmark
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s) None
Money finishes 1
Highest ITM main event finish 150th (2004)
World Poker Tour
Titles 3(+1)
Final tables 5(+3)
Money Finishes 8
European Poker Tour
Titles None
Final tables 1
Money finishes 2

Gustav (Gus) "The Great Dane" Hansen (born February 13, 1973 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a professional poker player who lives in Monaco.

He is expected to be featured on the NBC broadcast of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship on April 16th, and he is playing in the third season of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament which FSN is presently airing on Sundays.

Contents

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Biography

Before turning to playing poker professionally in 1997, he was a world class backgammon player and a youth tennis champion. Typical of the active Danish lifestyle, Gus was known for being a sports enthusiast throughout his teens, competing in several indoor and outdoor sports as a successful junior athlete. He only started playing poker in Santa Cruz, California while he was an exchange student. Prior to poker, he had been trying to make a living playing professional backgammon in New York and abroad, but found the field too small for his taste.

As a poker player, he is known for playing a non-standard game involving taking huge risks. However, his poker tournament record is impressive: He is the only player to win four World Poker Tour tournaments, plus he has won the Poker Superstars Invitational tournament, a one-table event featuring some of the most well-known players today.

He calls himself a professional gambler and has been known to take private bets on various personal athletic challenges (such as running), other than poker and professional sports.

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Style of play

Hansen is notorious for his extremely loose, aggressive play. He has a reputation for raising or bluffing with almost any two cards, which leads to opponents calling (or raising) his bets when he has a legitimate hand. He seems to focus his play on maximizing his implied odds. He also seems skilled at reading opponents and avoiding traps. Perhaps most importantly, he is a probability expert, in command of the equity calculations necessary to play high level poker.

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Accomplishments

He was one of the first inductees to the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame in 2004, along with Doyle Brunson and James Garner.

Gus Hansen was a founding partner and house pro of the online poker site pokerchamps.com, launched in 2003. In 2005 the company and game software technology were sold to the British company Betfair, for over 100 million Danish kroner, which is approximately £8.8 million (13 million euro/over $15,000,000 USD). During commentary of the 2005 British Poker Open, Gary "The Choirboy" Jones indicated Hansen was having money problems, despite having tournament winnings of over $3,300,000 as of 2006, reportedly because of losses during live cash games, including the "The Big Game" normally held at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas.

Gus Hansen won the $400,000 Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and took home the $1,000,000 first prize.

Hansen also made the final table of a European Poker Tour event in Barcelona.

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Trivia

Claims to have learned to speak English by listening to Pink Floyd albums in his youth.

In December 2004, People Magazine voted him as one of the 50 Sexiest Men Alive. His trademark look being a shaved head, thin lanky build, casual clothes, and bad boy poker stare with dimples.

Has been known to use the screen names broksi, bsg1, and havoc14 to play online poker.

Flexes his right arm after a win -- a move he says he copied from Mats Wilander.

Plays high-stakes Yahtzee.

Featured in a Danish TV documentary called Royal Straight Flush in 2003.

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Personal Quotes

On being a "Ladies' Man":
"I am a very individual person. I like gambling. I love what I do and I love the fact that I don’t have to answer to anyone. It sounds egotistical, but if I have to choose between you and me, it’s me, baby. As far as my situation is concerned right now, this way of life gives me a lot of freedom — no girlfriend, no ties, and I’m not looking. I like to hang out and have fun. I like my independence. I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep."

On table-talk:
"I don't have the talk to throw people off. I feel like I want to concentrate 100% on my game."

On opponents:
"I play the players, not the cards."

On reading people:
"Learn to understand and read yourself before you try to understand and read anyone else, that's the first mistake poker players make...and players in the game of life as well."

On taking risks:
"If nothing is at stake, what's the point?"

On abstinence:
"Are you f♣♥♠ing crazy? Poker’s not a physical game. There’s definitely an endurance side to it in some big tournaments, but having sex should be a pleasure and not a fight. If anything it’s going to influence you positively because it makes you feel good to be with someone that you like. It’s something that should make you relax, so I would never abstain. It doesn’t make sense to me in any regard whatsoever. Your performance is about your state of mind."

On being lucky:
"I love that they think I'm lucky. I don't mind at all. I mean ...let them just think I'm lucky. I think it helps me if people think I'm a little bit crazy because there's definitely rationale behind a lot of things I do. They might seem wacky, but I'm not totally crazy, just a little bit."

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External links

Template:Poker Superstars Winners Template:European Poker Awards Outstanding Tournament Performance of the Year Winnersda:Gus Hansen sv:Gus Hansen

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