Gus Hansen

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Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen at the 2006 World Series of Poker
Nickname(s) The Great Dane
Hometown Copenhagen, Denmark
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s) None
Money finishes 2
Highest ITM main
event finish
61st, 2007
World Poker Tour
Titles 3(+1)
Final tables 6(+3)
Money finishes 8
European Poker Tour
Titles None
Final tables 1
Money finishes 2

Gustav Hansen (born February 13, 1974 outside Copenhagen, Denmark) is a professional poker player who lives in Monaco.[1]

Contents

Before turning to playing poker professionally in 1997, Hansen was a world class backgammon player and a youth tennis champion. He was known for being a sports enthusiast throughout his teens, competing in several indoor and outdoor sports as a successful junior athlete. In 2000, he moved to New York City, and tried to make a living playing professional backgammon, but found the field too small for his taste.

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.

Hansen started playing poker at the Ocean View Card Room in Santa Cruz, California[2][3]while he was an exchange student at The University of California at Santa Cruz in 1993. He 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.

As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $5,000,000.[4]

Hansen finished in the money in 150th place in the 2004 Main Event. In the 2006 Tournament of Champions, Gus made a World Series of Poker final table, but lost on the very first hand with Ace King against a pair of 9s.

In 2007 Hansen cashed in the money in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Championship coming in 61st place out of a field of 6,358 players, winning $154,194.

Hansen is the only player to win three World Poker Tour (WPT) open tournaments. He also won the first WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational event. In 2004, he was inducted into the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame, along with Doyle Brunson and James Garner.

Gus Hansen & EPM tournament director Mel Judah
Gus Hansen & EPM tournament director Mel Judah

In September 2006 Hansen won the inaugural EPM event, The London All Star Challenge, eventually beating Marc Goodwin heads-up to take home the title and cheque for £53,600 ($US102,000).

Hansen won the inaugural $400,000 Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, winning the $1,000,000 first prize in a one-table event featuring some of the most well-known players today. He did not appear in the second series whilst losing to Antonio Esfandiari in the semifinals in the third.

Hansen finished in the money of the 2004 World Series of Poker main event, and also made the final table of a European Poker Tour (EPT) event in Barcelona.

In 2006, Hansen was a member of the winning Danish team in the PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup tournament, alongside Theo Jørgensen and Kim Christofte.

He is currently featured in the Professional Poker Tour and the second season of High Stakes Poker, where he won the second biggest pot in the show's history ($575,700) when his 5♦ 5♣ defeated Daniel Negreanu's 6♠ 6♥ on a board of 9♣ 6♦ 5♥ 5♠ 8♠.

He was in Singapore in November 12-17, 2006 to participate in the Betfair Asian Poker Tour.

Gus was the first winner on NBC's Poker After Dark earning him $120,000, as he outlasted a field of six pro's including Phil Hellmuth and Huck Seed.

In January 2007, Gus won the $10,500 main event at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne, Australia, beating a field of 747 players to take home the AUD $1,500,000 first prize.

Gus Hansen with David Benyamine and others on Full Tilt Poker. They are playing $200/$400 pot limit Omaha hold 'em
Gus Hansen with David Benyamine and others on Full Tilt Poker. They are playing $200/$400 pot limit Omaha hold 'em

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 (approximately £8.8 million / 13 million euro / $15,000,000 USD). Despite the sale, Hansen was involved in a PokerChamps Danish championship in October 2005. In 2006, he signed a three year contract to play exclusively on Full Tilt Poker.[5]

In 2005, Hansen appeared in Texas Hold'Em Poker Advanced Strategies With Gus Hansen, which is part of the Going All In instructional series of DVDs.

He is presently a spokesmodel for Frank Q, a Danish men's fashion line, which he is contracted to wear exclusively for public appearances.[6]

Despite his ongoing success, Hansen has struggled with money problems, reportedly because of losses during live cash games. [7] Hansen is a regular in the The Big Game normally held in "Bobby’s Room" at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. He has said that his losses aren't a secret and has admitted to losing a million or so at a couple of games. He also admits to being a perennial loser in sports betting, so much so that he wishes he could stop.[8]

  • Claims to have learned to speak English by listening to, and reading the liner notes of, Pink Floyd albums in his youth.
  • People Magazine's editors voted him as the "Sexiest Poker Player" in their December 2004 50 Sexiest Men Alive issue.
  • Was the subject of a Danish TV documentary called Royal Straight Flush in 2003.
  • Writes a weekly blog for the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet in Danish, which is reprinted on his official site with accompanying English translations.
  • Featured in the 2007 movie Redline playing poker in a scene along with David Williams.

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