Gus Hansen

Gustav Hansen was born on February 13, 1974, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Before poker, he was a world-class backgammon player and a youth tennis champion. He began playing poker at the Ocean View Card Room in Santa Cruz, California, while an exchange student at UC Santa Cruz. In 1997, he turned professional and quickly gained a reputation for his ultra-loose aggressive style, earning the nickname "The Great Dane." Hansen has lived in Monaco since 2003.

World Poker Tour

Hansen was the first player to win three World Poker Tour (WPT) open tournaments. His first title came in May 2002 at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, where he won $556,460. In February 2003, he won the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship at the WPT LA Poker Classic, earning $532,490. His third WPT title was at the 2004 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $7,500 No Limit Hold'em event for $455,780. He also won the first WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational event. In April 2008, he finished second to David Chiu in the Season 6 WPT Championship, earning $1,714,800. In 2004, Hansen was inducted into the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame alongside Doyle Brunson and James Garner.

World Series of Poker

Hansen's only WSOP bracelet came in 2010 at the World Series of Poker Europe in London. He won the £10,350 No Limit Hold'em High Roller Heads-Up event, defeating James Collopy and taking home £288,409 (approximately $451,880). Other notable WSOP results include a third-place finish in the 2011 $25,000 Heads-Up Championship ($283,966), a ninth-place in the 2009 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($123,895), and a 10th-place in the 2007 WSOPE Main Event (£41,630). He cashed in the WSOP Main Event multiple times, including 61st in 2007 ($154,194) and 160th in 2008 ($41,816). In 2012, he won a $25,300 One Drop Mega Satellite, earning a $1 million seat in the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, but busted on Day 2 without cashing.

Other Major Titles

In January 2007, Hansen won the Aussie Millions main event, beating a field of 747 players to take home A$1,500,000. He detailed his entire tournament in his book Every Hand Revealed (2008). He also won the inaugural Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament in 2005, taking $1,000,000. In 2010, he won the Full Tilt Poker Poker Million IX, defeating Tony Bloom heads-up for $1,000,000. In September 2006, he won the London All Star Challenge for £53,600. Hansen also made a final table at the 2005 EPT Barcelona, finishing fifth for €78,000. In January 2012, he finished third in the A$250,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions, earning A$800,000.

High Stakes Cash Games and Losses

Hansen is a regular in the Bellagio's Big Game (Bobby's Room) and has admitted to losing substantial sums in cash games. His losses on Full Tilt Poker reportedly reached $20.7 million as of March 2015. He has said, "I've lost a million dollars or so at a couple of games." Despite these setbacks, he continues to play high-stakes cash games and tournament events.

Hansen is known for his ultra-aggressive, hyper-LAG (loose-aggressive) style. He relies heavily on reading opponents and creating chaotic situations, often raising and re-raising with marginal hands. His approach is based on pot odds and deductive reasoning, which was highly successful during the poker boom but has become more volatile in the modern era. Hansen's style has been both praised for its creativity and criticized for its riskiness.

Hansen was a founding partner of online poker site PokerChamps.com, sold to Betfair in 2005 for over $15 million. He launched the strategy site ThePlayr.com in 2007 and GusHansenTV in 2009. He was a member of the original Team Full Tilt and became the first brand ambassador under the new management in 2012. Hansen also appeared in a poker instructional DVD and joined the commentary team for the World Series of Backgammon. In 2004, he was voted one of People magazine's 50 Sexiest Men. He has dabbled in music and other businesses, though with mixed success. Hansen considers himself a professional gambler and has taken bets on personal athletic challenges, such as a boxing match against Theo Jorgensen.

Hansen continues to play select tournaments, focusing on mixed games. In 2024 and 2025, he cashed in several WSOP events, including a sixth-place finish in the 2026 $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship ($49,665) and an eighth-place in the 2024 $10,000 Eight Game Mixed Championship ($39,167). He also final-tabled the 2025 Winamax Poker Open Aix-les-Bains Main Event, finishing seventh for €16,899. While his results have diminished compared to his peak, he remains a recognizable figure in the poker world.