Gus Hansen

With a loose, aggressive, and often reckless approach to gambling, Gus Hansen is far more than a poker player.

Born in Denmark in 1974, Gus became a player of all games at a young age. He was a top tennis player and excelled at many other sports. His favorite games though, were the ones he could gamble on. His love of math and numbers got him interested in competitive backgammon, which took him to New York in hopes to make a living playing the game.

It was in New York that Gus found himself running in the same gambling circles as notable names such as Phil Laak and Huck Seed. In addition to Gin Rummy, he was introduced poker, specifically Seven Card Stud. It was no wonder that in 1996, when Hansen first played at the World Series of Poker, he did not fare well in the No Limit Hold tournament he played, finding himself on the rail after the first day.

With a peaked interest in a new game, Hansen began toying around with different approaches to NLHE, all the while playing more and more backgammon. On one of his frequent trips to Las Vegas, he put his unorthodox skills to the test and won the inaugural World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic taking home over $550,000. This turned out to be no fluke as less than a year later, he took down another WPT title, this time at the L.A. Poker Classic, pocketing another $532,000.

With his first $1,000,00 in winning and two titles under his belt, Hansen has been on a poker roll ever since. With over $5,800,000 in tournament winnings, Gus has one of the most impressive records on the circuit. His loose and sometimes crazy style has translated into cash game success as well with him being found regularly playing in the biggest games at the Bellagio and all over the world.

Never one to be satisfied gambling on only poker, Gus Hansen will gambling on almost anything including golf, tennis, soccer, and of course backgammon. While his style may seem strange to many, everyone can admit that he is a force to be reckoned with, no matter what game he’s playing.