Friday, January 18, 2008

As Poker Goes Hollywood Hansen is Seen as Icon

In People magazine’s December 2004 issue, Gus Hansen was voted one of the 50 sexiest work force alive. He was in good company with the likes of Saint Jude Law, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rebel Depp, Brad Pitt, Jimmy Smits, Donald Trump, Blair Underwood, and David Bruce Willis, to call a few.

What makes he believe of such as recognition? Gus smiled, shrugged nonchalantly, and said, “It is pretty cool, but it’s not a life-changing event. I’m still small ol’ me. Sometimes things that go on are random happenstances with attempt and accomplishment involved in the mix. It’s all good.”

Gus is easy-going, comfortable with himself, charming, a sum flirt, philosophical about life, and, mostly, easy to like. He’s fun; he smiles easily and have no pretenses.

In 1993, Gus moved from his native land, Copenhagen, Denmark, to Santa Cruz, California, where he lived for a few years. “I started playing poker in Santa Cruz. I saw one cat who always seemed to be winning. He helped me out a little. He was a good player for the game that was there, and he did funky, unconventional things. Iodine said to myself, if he can make it, why can’t I?

“I have got always liked to seek out new things and diagnostic test the waters. Maybe it is ridiculous, but I don’t like to except anything from my game plan. Every option is an option. Nothing is off-limits. Sometimes I would seek something and then overdo it. So, in Santa Cruz, when I would overdo it and show some refuse hand, it became known as a ‘Gus.’ When person would win with a funky hand, he would turn it over and say, ‘I have got a Gus.’”

Learning to Play Poker

“I learned poker the same manner I learned backgammon, by experience. I didn’t make much reading. I read one book when I started out, Hold’em for Beginners by Saint David Sklansky. I played alot on the internet. The cyberspace is a great place to larn how to play."

“In general, I believe it’s best to larn by looking at your ain mistakes. A very good manner to make it is to analyse with other people. It’s interesting to acquire other people’s opinions. I believe it’s very hard to honestly analyse a state of affairs correctly and believe about your ain mistakes. Sometimes at the minute it’s hard to do the right decision. That’s wherefore it’s of import to sit down calmly afterward and come up up with the right answer. Then, you will cognize the adjacent time a similar state of affairs come ups up. I analyse mostly with myself and sometimes with Leslie Howard Lederer. We travel to the gymnasium and work out our organic structures and heads at the same time.”

Fame and Fortune

Gustav Hansen’s celebrity can be directly linked to the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) televised events. However, his fortune can be linked only to his skill, combined with his unpredictable play and mathematical ability.

It all started when Gus was 28 old age old. He entered the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic in May of 2002 at Bellagio in Las Vegas, along with 146 other hopefuls. That was the premiere event of the WPT. With a award pool of $1,416,200, it was an exciting event, with the winner taking place more than one-half a million dollars.

After the first twenty-four hours of play, Gus was in 10th place with $56,150. After the 2nd and 3rd day, he was in 4th place with $158,000 and $313,700, respectively. He was the leader after the 4th twenty-four hours with more than than $1 million.

Gus held on to his lead, and won the title, the trophy, and $556,480. People said he was lucky then and go on to state he’s lucky now, even though statistics turn out that he have one of the best tournament records of anyone.

“He’s Just Lucky”

“One thing I believe is amusing is the fact that people impute my success to luck. I have got been very successful in tournaments over the last couple of years, yet I am the lone 1 with whom the work fortune is associated. Perhaps some of the things I make aren’t that bad after all. Everybody can see when person acquires lucky in a hand, but what is not so readily evident is that a good apprehension of the construction of the game makes its ain “luck.” Inch my extroverted book, I will uncover and analyse the concealed construction that I believe only a few players are aware of.

“I am definitely more than aggressive than most players, but I also have got a different doctrine about my game. My mentality is a small more than from a mathematical perspective. Other players trust too much on their inherent aptitudes and reading abilities. Sometimes they let that to overshadow the mathematical truth. Usually, I allow the mathematics make its thing. Sometimes, people set too much into their reads, and ante off all of their chips and then suddenly have got no chips at all.

“On TV, they demo something I did that was unconventional, making it look like I always play like a wild man. But portion of my success is that people always cognize I will call. Suddenly, I acquire A free drive because people won’t bet, knowing there’s a good opportunity I’ll raise. One minute I’m on a sum bluff, and the adjacent minute I am playing a mathematical game; I believe that brands it very difficult for my oppositions to read me.”

In six WPT tournaments, Gus have won a humongous $1,830,876; yet, people are still saying he’s just lucky! Actually, there’s A method to his apparent madness. It’s just not readily apparent!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Gus loves girls, and with his Danish appeal and acute eyes, misses look to be crazy about him, too. Steve William Nunn Lipscom Jr. noticed that on the WPT set, misses in the audience were staring, flirting, and falling all over him. He’s just so easy to be around — fun, articulate, and playful. I asked him how he became so amazingly articulate, since his native lingua is Danish. He explained that when he was young, he listened to Pink Floyd and knew all the lyrics, so his pronunciation of words was natural and easy. He is philosophical, and expressing himself come ups easy to him.

I asked Gus about his love life. He is 30, and free and single. “I am a very individual person. I like gambling. I love what I make and I love the fact that I don’t have got to reply to anyone. It sounds egotistical, but if I have got to take between you and me, it’s me, baby. As far as my state of affairs is concerned right now, this manner of life gives me a batch of freedom — no girlfriend, no ties, and I’m not looking. I like to hang out and have got fun. I like my independence. I don’t desire to do promises I can’t keep.”

His Best and Worst

“I believe my top failing is probably that I am very curious. I’m trying to improve that facet of my game, and it’s probably true that wonder killed the cat. Sometimes, I’m too stubborn. I go a small too funny and do some bad calls.” That reminded me of the bad poker gag about the player who always went place broke, but never curious! About his strengths, Gus said, “I believe the strength of my game is my mathematical and analytical manner of looking at things. When I am focused, I experience I can vie with everybody. Because I premix it up, I am difficult to read. I don’t really play my hand, but I play my opponent’s hand. If I cognize person won’t perpetrate all of his chips, I just have got to bet. The adjacent time, I might wager with the nuts, and players can’t state the difference.”

Why Gus is a Winner

“I believe I am very good at adjusting to the state of affairs at hand. A batch of people have got one game style; they be given not to set at all. I am fairly good at switching from one state of affairs to one with other parameters, but sometimes I overdo it. If I have got got a program that works, it usually can have a great impact on my tournament result; if I seek something and I’m wrong, everyone negotiation about it. I believe it’s right to seek out new things. Most people have got rules. It’s all right to make one thing but not another. In my game, every option is an option. I’m not saying that style would work for other people, but it accommodates me.”

In the concluding analysis, statistics talk for themselves. In the last two old age alone, Gustav Hansen have won almost $2 million in WPT events alone, to state nil of his many other wins. He is a young, ferocious winner who have only just begun demolishing oppositions at the poker table.


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