Aquarius – February 13, 1974
Gus Hansen, also referred to as “The Great Dane” was born in Denmark and prior to making it big in the poker world was a world class backgammon player and elite tennis player.
It was in 1997 that he made the move to playing poker professionally and is one of the more widely known and popular players. Along with being super aggressive in his game, he is known for his love to gamble in general from sports, to poker and of course prop bets.
His playing style is incredibly aggressive and he’s usually involved in more hands then most players and shows no mercy at the table. During the PokerStars III tournament Gus needed a win in order to move on to the next round and instead of playing a thoughtful and calculated game he went all in each and every hand, and did so pushing blind. Sheer aggressiveness is his game and for most this style wouldn’t work, but for him it does. He has the ability to make his opponents.
In the poker circuit he has yet to win a bracelet in the WSOP, but has earned himself other notable credentials including a series of WPT final table appearances and three titles which also lead to being inducted into the WPT hall of fame in 2004. His biggest tournament accomplishment thus far was in 2007, when Gus Hansen took 1st place in the Aussie Millions Main Event held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne Australia. Other big wins include the 5 diamond World Poker Tour in 2002, LA Poker Classic in 2003, the Pokerstars PCA tournament in 2004, and the Pokerstars Invitational in 2005.
One of his most memorable moments was in an episode of High Stakes Poker where Hansen was involved in a hand with Negreanu which amounted to the highest pot in a cash game. Both players held small pockets, but luck would have it that that particular flop had setup both players for what would become the highest pot in cash game history. On the turn, Daniel landed a full house however that same turn card also gave Hansen quads taking down a $575K pot.
Hansen is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker and can be found playing in the ultra high cash games or tournaments. He is a regular at the PLO $200/$400. He is author of a book titled “Every Hand Revealed” which depicts the hands he played during the Aussie Millions event he won.
Gus Hansen Tournament Standings 2008
