Gus Hansen: Professional Poker Player Profile

Gustav "Gus" Hansen's poker career has been impressive: he has won three World Poker Tour tournaments, plus one invitational, one-table event. Gus Hansen was one of the first inductees to the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame in 2004, along with Doyle Brunson and James Garner. And last but not the least, People Magazine voted him one of the world's 50 Sexiest Men Alive in December 2004.

Gus Hansen's play is known for being extremely loose, and at the same time extremely aggressive. He has been known to raise or bluff with any two cards, which makes him unpredictable on the table. Opponents are led to call or raise even when he is hiding a winning hand. This high-risk play style has been criticized numerous times, but Hansen's tournament successes are proof enough that this style is effective for him.

Implied odds and pot odds appear to constitute a large part of his victories. While his opponents find it hard to read him, he is an expert in reading into their moves and avoiding traps. But the most important aspect of Hansen's personality as a poker player is his being a probability expert. This allows him to redefine the games, giving him an almost complete control of the table. His game of choice is the Texas Hold'em.

Hansen has been called "The Great Dane" because of his Danish roots. He was born in 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Before being a professional poker player, Gus Hansen was a world-class backgammon and tennis player. He came to the United States first as an exchange student. His stay in Santa Cruz, California was when he first started playing poker in earnest.

Hansen has shown some business acumen. He was a founding partner, and house pro of the online poker site pokerchamps.com. The site was launched in 2003. In 2005 the site was sold to the British company Betfair, for over 100 million Danish crowns, which is approximately £8.8 million / 13 million euro. In addition to what he earned from this, he has earned over $2 million in tournament winnings as of 2005. This makes it puzzling to hear commentator Gary "The Choirboy" Jones mention in a recent British Poker Open that Hansen has been having money problems.

Individuality is paramount to the free-spirited Hansen. He loves to gamble, and enjoys not having to answer to anyone. "It sounds egotistical, but if I have to choose between you and me," he has said, "it’s me, baby." Poker's pretty boy Hansen is romantically unattached, and liking it that way. Gus Hansen is currently residing in Monte Carlo.