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The
advent of the World Poker Tour introduced a whole crop
of talented new players, from all corners of the globe.
And none shone brighter than
Denmark
’s Gus Hansen – affectionately known as the Great
Dane. Like the Beatles four decades before him, Hansen
triggered a second European Invasion, this time from
Scandinavia
. Although he is just past 30, he is now the leading
figure for a group of very young, and very
talented professionals.
Biggest
Poker Accomplishment:
Gus won the inaugural WPT event in 2002, and has since
added 2 more WPT titles to his tally, making him the
most successful player in the tour’s history. He also
won the first Poker Superstars Challenge, pocketing $1
million in the process.
Playing
Style: Gus
playing style has to be seen to be believed, and might
be described as hyper loose/active. Gus doesn’t
discriminate when it comes to his hole cards. He likes
to play flops, and any 2 cards will do just fine.
Strengths:
Gus plays a very unconventional type of poker, seeing
flops and calling raises with cards that other players
can’t comprehend. Consequently, he has a big affect on
his table opponents, and he knows it. Hansen is a
master at getting people out of their comfort zone and
making them pay with all of their chips.
Weaknesses:
In
addition to being his biggest strength, Gus’
unconventional aggression can also be his downfall. Gus
just can’t seem to find a slower gear, and he is often
unable to make a big laydown. To put it into context,
Gus has made many great calls, but almost no great
laydowns.
Tournament
Winnings: Just
over $3.3 million to date.
The
Bottom Line:
Gus is a man with gambling wired into his genes. Before
he exploded onto the poker scene, Gus was a top
Backgammon player, playing for up to $1000 a point.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Gus jumped into the
biggest stake poker games once his bankroll allowed it.
Barry Greenstein has said that $1 million swings are
rare in these games, but he has often seen Gus get up
and down that amount 3 times in a single session!
Rank
(out of 10): 9
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