Gus Hansen is a fascinating player to watch at the poker table, for a number of reasons. There are the (seemingly) crazy calls, the galaxy of facial expressions, and the unrelenting aggression. But for me, the most interesting thing about Gus is the way he changes the chemistry of any table he sits down at. Gus has a pronounced effect on the other players at his tables, forcing them to play differently than they normally would. This was never more evident than at the Poker Superstars I event.

This tournament wasn’t made up of a bunch of online jackoff qualifiers. It featured only the best players in the world – men like Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer and TJ Cloutier. In spite of this talent, Gus still ran wild, crushing the field like a fresh bread stick.

Gus came in playing fast and loose. He took advantage of the early rounds and the structure of the tournament to create a crazy table image and build some chips. Luck was on his side, to be sure, but one can never deny that Gus gives himself a chance to win. He makes plays and mixes it up, and when he hits a hand he has no trouble getting paid off. Before long Gus had a big chip lead, and then the fireworks started.

Armed with his chip lead, Gus began to exploit one of his biggest strengths – his ability to get good (in this case the best) players out of their comfort zone and to force them to make bad plays. In PS I, Doyle Brunson was his most glaring victim.

Throughout the tournament Gus had been getting the better of Doyle. Time and again, Gus beat Doyle in big pots with less than stellar holdings, until it all culminated in one fateful hand. Gus found 2 aces and raised to $30,000 (like he had just about every other hand) and Doyle, with QQ in the hole, decided to just call, planning to trap Gus later in the hand. When the flop came 10 8 4 rainbow, Doyle checked and Gus bet $70,000. Doyle then check raised all in for over 500K more – a massive overbet – and Gus made the easy call. The aces held up and you could practically feel the rest of the table aching to wring Doyle’s neck for handing the Dane such an insurmountable lead.

Therein lies the power of Gus – his style builds such frustration in others that even Doyle Brunson was moved to play like a teen with premature ejaculation. Gus steals and steals, and then uses those chips to send his victims to the rail. To these eyes, there is nothing crazy about that.