Gus Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1974. Growing up he loved sports and was a teenage tennis champion. He was also a very good backgammon player but poker became his favorite game due to the big money. He started playing poker at the Ocean View Card Room in California when he was an exchange student in 1993. Then in 1997 he started playing poker for a living and had a lot of success. He played mostly cash games the next several years with no major tournament wins to speak of. Unlike most professional players Gus focuses on the World Poker Tour events opposed to the WSOP.

In 2002 he won $556,480 for a first place finish in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic no limit Hold'em event. After this large win Gus recognized the value of competing in these major events and starting playing in more of these prestigious tournaments. The next year he playing in the L.A. Poker Classic no limit Hold'em event and won another $507,190 for a first place win. He also won $276,426 for a third place finish in the Five Diamond Hold'em tournament. He was one of the first pro poker players to found their own poker site, Poker Champs was launched in 2003 and was a huge success until the U.S. gambling laws were signed.

2004 saw yet another major win for Gus. He finished 1st in the Caribbean Adventure worth $455,780 and he beat out 4 other professional players in the WPT Bad Boys competition. By this time Gus was recognized as one of the best players in the world. He was inducted into the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame due to his solid WPT track record. Gus didn't have any major wins in 2005 but still managed to take home just under $500,000 for"in the money" finishes.

In 2006 he won the London Poker Masters no limit Texas Hold'em event. He also sold Poker Champs this year to play full time at Full Tilt poker. Gus's biggest achievement came in January, 2007 when he won the Aussie Millions Hold'em Championship. This win put $1,139,010 in Gus's pocket and sealed his place as one of the top no limit Hold'em players in the history of the game.

What's He Like?

Gus Hansen, also know as"The Great Dane" is an outgoing person. He likes to live on the wild side and is known to make huge prop bets sometimes involving his running very long distances.

What's he doing now?

Gus is a regular at the high stakes pot limit Omaha tables at Full Tilt poker. He also likes to play at"Bobby's Room", the high stakes table at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. He currently lives in Monaco but spends most of his time traveling from one tournament to another.

Major Wins (WPT)