Gus Hansen Answers Ten Questions

Here is a little interview with Gus Hansen I found online and thought I’d share with everyone.  I believe it is from early 2007.

1) You are known for your aggressive style that some people consider reckless, how do you make it work for you?

Of course it is a little bit exaggerated because they only show the most exciting hands on tv. Its not like all the time I play deuce four. But it seems like by doing that some of the time it has created a reckless reputation for me and I try and use that to my advantage in other situations. So it is paying dividends here and there.

2) You play in the big game at the Bellagio, usually a mixed game, of them all which game is your favorite?

I really like poker and of course they are different games, but it’s all poker. If you know how to play one game then you know how to play them all. It’s just different rules. In all games you have to be aggressive, keep your opponents guessing, and be able to read people well. I like stud a lot, I like triple draw, and I like no limit holdem. I like all kinds of games. I like poker.

3) Who would you least like to see at a final table with you?

Most of the players in the big game are the toughest and best players. Phil ivey is a really good player. And David Benyamine, a French guy is playing very very well. He’s a very good reader, it seems like he has a good grip on me, so hes been messing me up a little bit. But I plan on getting back at him. So against those two guys i’d really have to play my best to stay in the game.

 4) If you didn’t play poker for a living what would you be doing?

Probably playing some other type of game.

5) What has been your biggest loss at the poker table?

I’ve been stuck a million a couple of times

6) There were rumors all over the internet a few months ago that you went broke. Do you pay attention to the rumors and if so how do you respond to them?

No, it’s kinda like when people say I play every hand - it’s not true. There’s always lot of rumors and I did lose a lot in the big game. It’s really no secret. Early last year I did lose a lot in that game. I wasn’t broke, but you know how everything has been exaggerated like suddenly I’ve lost 12 million, now I just smile at it.

7) Do you gamble outside of poker?

I would say I’ve had a rather bad sports betting career and I would like to change that around but it seems like maybe it’s best to just quit.
8) What is the craziest bet you’ve made outside of poker?

I made a couple of bets with friends of mine like we’ll be sitting in a plane on our way to la and it’s been delayed and bet when it will take off. I bet over 2 o’clock and he bets under for 5k we just make funky bets like that. We’ll bet on the golfcourse or tennis, or whatever we do.

9) What sports are your favorites?

I used to be a pretty decent tennis player. But I love everything with balls really. Tennis golf, soccer, squash. Golf. Anything. I really enjoy sports a lot.

10) Where are you from?

I am a citizen of Denmark, a resident of Monaco and I gamble a lot in Vegas. So I stick around all over.

Did he say he likes playing with balls?  Nevermind.  Always remember you can play poker against Gus Hansen at FULL TILT POKER

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Famous poker magazine “Poker Player” sat down with Gus Hansen in March of 2006 to discuss many topics.  Most of them about his style of play.  It’s a fun read and I thought I would bring it to the fans of GusHansenOnline.com

Please feel free to learn more about Poker Player at their website here
The great Dane reveals the secrets which have made him the most successful player on the WPT circuit
By PokerPlayer March 2006

AGGRESSION
My style of play is highly aggressive, which piles the pressure on other people at the table. When you’re called you have to make an educated decision about what cards your opponent has. You might get a feel for what they’re holding but you’ll never know exactly what they have until they show. It’s not possible to play perfect poker every hand. If you could, you’d win pretty much every tournament that you played in; but even if you make the right moves you’ll still get unlucky from time to time.

PLAY MORE
I probably play twice as many hands as other professional players. Every time they play one hand I’ll play two and that means I play some different holdings. Everyone bets out with the good hands but I’ll play more, as I like to test out my opponent and see how they react. You might lose that particular hand but you’ll be in better shape next time you go up against them.

PLAY 7-2 OFF-SUIT?
It depends a lot on the situation. Who opened the pot? Who flat-called? What position are you in? If this is the tightest guy at the table maybe you should sit this one out. But if it is the tightest guy at the table maybe you have a chance to make him play bad because he knows that you know that he’s tight.

STATE OF MIND
Poker’s not a little quiz where you have 10 questions and 10 answers. You’ll have 57 answers. Depending on the situation and the opponent one answer will be right at any given time. Even against the same player on a different day it changes – they may be in a different state of mind and you have to think from their point of view. That’s the beauty of poker and what makes it such a complex game.

HEAD DOWN
I enjoy the study sometimes even more than the game because it’s what makes you improve. Go into the details, look at what it boils down to and set yourself on the right path. Spend time studying and analysing hands you’ve played and combine that with a high level of competitiveness and you’ll put yourself in a good position to win. The old Olympic ideal that taking part is enough always seems to be brought up by people who regularly lose.

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.

PLAY AROUND
Don’t be stuck in the mindset that just because you were brought up in Alabama that you’re a Southern Baptist. Ask yourself, ‘why the f*** am I a Southern Baptist?’ Don’t stop yourself from making a move just because this book or that book says that you shouldn’t be raising with A-J in first position; try it out and see if it works for you. If you like it, keep on doing it. Don’t take anything for granted, just check it out. And by the way, it’s a lot more fun.

FULL TILT POKER
And on a side note please remember that Gus Hansen plays online at Full Title Poker and if you’d like to get the chance to play him, you should Click Here and sign up!

This is just a fun video I thought I’d put up.  Everyone remembers when I posted THIS VIDEO where Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu went at it in a round of poker that saw over half a million dollars go into the pot. Well, just for fun, here is a little bonus video where Daniel Negreanu talks about what was going through his mind as the cards were being played, very interesting.

The day started out with 56 players but by the end only 11 were left.  That is what happened during Day 2 of the £2500 H.O.R.S.E event at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe.  Among those eliminated was my favorite and yours, Gus Hansen.

Also eliminated today were Canadas own Daniel Negranu and almost making it to the final table but busting out in 12th place was the Poker Brat himself, Phil Hellmuth.

For those that were wondering who the final 11 are, here is the list:

Howard Lederer 208,500
Sherkhan Farnood 141,500
Yuval Bronshtein 133,500
Phil Ivey 114,000
Jeff Duvall 112,100
Spencer Lawrence 88,500
Jeff Lisandro 84,000
Mark Gregorich 82,500
Ivo Donev 79,500
Kristian Eriksson 43,000
Raul Paez 17,500

Chip leader Howard Lederer as well as Phil Ivey play online at Full Tilt Poker Online and you can too! Just Click Here to get started and you could find yourself sititng at a table with on of your poker favorites!!

Poker After Dark is an hour long TV program which is shown on NBC.  It began in 2007 and continues today with one hour long episodes 6 nights a week.  The structure of the show is 6 poker all stars each buy in $20000 with the hopes of being the last man standing after a game of Texas Hold ‘Em to be the winner of $120000.

I will eventually bring you Gus Hansens complete Poker After Dark history, but for right now I will recap his experiences during the first season.

Gus Hansen was part of the very first week of Poker After Dark titled “Poker Brat Pack” which ran from January 1 - January 6 2007.  The participants were Gus Hansen, 11 Time WSOP Braclett winner Phil Hellmuthh, Shawn Sheikhan, Annie Duke, Steve Zolotow and 1996 WSOP Winner Huck Seed.  Gus Hansen was able to out last this impressive feild of talent and was crowned the very first winner in Poker After Dark History!!

Gus didn’t apprear again on the show until week 7 which was titled “Against All Odds” (for reasons I do not know).  The poker superstars taking part this week were Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (Winner of the 2008 NBC Heads Up Tournament), Clonie Gowen (I personal favorite player to watch for obvious reasons), Sam Faha, Gus Hansen, Ted Forrest and Antanas Guoga (aka Tony G).  Gus did very well lasting to the final 3 but was elimianted and the eventual winner was the 2000 WSOP winner Chris Ferguson.

If you would like to play poker against Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, Clonie Gowen or a number of other Poker Professionals seen on Poker after Dark it is possible!!  Thanks to the magic of the internet.  All these players play exclusively at FULL TILT POKER and all you need to do is sign up and sit down at a table suddenly you are playing your favorite sport against your poker heros! Click Here For More Information.

Fans of Gus Hansen will be mildy saddend to hear that one of his websites will no longer be associated with him.  ThePlayr.com (featuring the ulrta cool “Gus Tracker”) is now up for sale.  The buyer will be the person with the largest bid at SitePoint.com

Although the site quickly became the biggest poker site in Denmark, apparently some problems behind the scenes have led to the decision to call it quits.  If you are the lucky bidder please know that Gus Hansen will no longer be associated with the brand.

True it is always a shame to see a great website come to an end, but this gives a great apportunity for sites such as us to fill the gap and we fully plan on becoming THE source for all your Gus Hansen needs.