Unofficial site about Gus Hansen

• Gustav Hansen was born near Copenhagen, Denmark on February 13th 1974
• Hansen is single as has no children
• He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall
• Currently lives in Monte Carlo

It’s a familiar story in high profile poker players. Growing up, Gus Hansen showed a strong competitive streak, excelled in sports (in Hansen’s case it was soccer and tennis) and discovered backgammon in high school. He has always been drawn to mathematics and numbers and the calculating nature of backgammon captivated him.

During his summer holidays he would spend his days at camp and discovered poker. Playing for loose change soon became a regular pastime for him but it was backgammon that he focused on through high school, winning many tournaments within Denmark. Although he turned pro playing backgammon, the field of competition was too small to keep him interested for long.

Hansen learned English from the liner notes of Pink Floyd albums and in 1993 at 20 years old he migrated to Santa Cruz California where poker once again captured his imagination. He spent a lot of time in the local casinos and like John Juanda credits his less-than-perfect English skills with his ability to read body language. The pair say that to interpret the meaning in a conversation without speaking the language fluently, it was important to closely watch the gestures and mannerisms of the speaker. Hansen put this skill to good use watching fellow players and he particularly liked the erratic and unpredictable style of one regular player. Hansen emulated him and has become one of the most difficult players to read. In particular, he has developed a habit of raising even on hands as poor as a low pair, which has led to many wins when his competitors assume he is bluffing as raise heavily against him.

After a return to Denmark to complete his national service (a compulsory nine months in the military that is common in many European countries), Hansen returned to the United States and ended up in New York City playing backgammon and gin.

He became interested in Texas Hold'Em, especially after spending time with Huckleberry Seed and Phil Laak and in 1996 entered his first World Series of Poker event. He had never played No Limit Hold'Em before and was quickly knocked out, forcing him to rethink his entire game strategy.

The result was the very loose and aggressive style he is now famous for and in 2002 he took top spot in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'Em Event at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas for a tidy half million dollars.

This was the true beginning of Gus Hansens success in high-stakes poker and in 2003 he added another World Poker Tour title to his name, with another half million dollar prize. Half a million dollars seemed to be his lucky number as this was the same amount he walked away with in the 2004 Caribbean Adventure. At least it was, until 2005 when a first place in the Poker Superstars Invitational bagged him a cool million.

His largest payout to date is the whopping $1.5 million that he won in the 2007 Aussie Million Main Event.

His endorsement deal with Full Tilt poker is worth an undisclosed sum, but he is often found on the site when he is not playing cash tables and making prop bets. He once borrowed $4 million from Doyle Brunson, which he paid back almost immediately. Still, it makes things clear: Winning a lot of money does not always mean there is plenty of cash on hand. It also shows that Gus Hansen is right when he says that he is terrible at betting on sports.

Gus Hansen is one of the most entertaining poker players to watch. No-one is ever sure what he will do next, least of all him it seems and his wild bluffs and loose play are a crazy ride. Don’t be fooled though: Hansen is in control of his game at all times and even documents every move he made during his Aussie Millions win in his book Every Hand Revealed. Before he wrote the book he was dismayed to find that all other poker books seemed based on theory more than practice so he decided to rectify this himself. With a recount of 329 hands, with 21 of those deemed “crucial” he walks the reader through his thought process at every stage of the game.

Gus Hansen about his early career as a backgammon player

This intimate insight in Gus Hansens style reveals one of the secrets of his success. He is genuinely unafraid of losing. Why? Because despite the appearance of a maverick player, Gus Hansen is still a numbers man at heart and plays the odds accordingly. His friendly and self-deprecating humour is there too, especially when he almost proudly states “I played this hand like a novice, a fish, an idiot!” This endearing human side helps to make Gus Hansen one of the best-liked players on the circuit and perhaps helped him to be included in 2004 People Magazine’s 50 sexiest men. Of course, his commitment to athletics like tennis and gym workouts may have helped as well. Hansen lives a true jet-set lifestyle in Monaco where he spends time in high roller’s rooms at some of the best casinos in the world and enjoys the many toys of a wealthy bachelor.

• Hansen is living near his niece and plans to make her his first poker protégé.
• According to Full Tilt poker, Hansen learned English by listening to Pink Floyd albums, is a competitive high-stakes Yahtzee player and in 2004 was voted one of the 50 Sexiest Men by People magazine.
• He speaks at least three languages.
• He is the only poker player to have won four World Poker Tour tournaments thanks to his aggressive bluffs.