Inside Gus Hansen’s Brain with a New Poker Book

What’s this? Gus Hansen wrote a poker book? One of the most notable sporting and entertainment figures of this decade has always been somewhat aloof to the poker market upswing while at the same time being the source of its epicenter. The man seemed to always avoid exploiting his own image in the poker lime light. The man simply is born to play games, and he excels at almost everyone he chooses. Certainly if you have watched any poker on TV over the last 6 years you know about Gus Hansen and his loose aggressive style. But in this new poker book, you learn a lot more about how the math of Gus Hansen actually explains away that gambling moniker and theorem.

This book is great, but because Gus’ name is on it, it really didn’t have to be. Gus has really opened up here and goes through every contentious hand he plays at the 2007 Aussie Millions, where he dominated the final table and kick-slapped an internet newcomer named Jimmy Fricke heads up to seal the deal. In showing how he strategizes right through that tournament he creates sincere value that we amateur players may have never before been exposed to because players like Gus are just so rare.

If you’ve ever seen some of the hands from this tournament on youtube, you will see that Gus was actually using a personal recording device and whispering into a mic throughout the Aussie Millions Poker Tournament. You have to wonder if it was a self check system for Gus, or if he had actually planned to use the information for this book ahead of time.

Now you get the real beans form the best player who was in the best spot to analyze the hands for this book as he could easily review the chips counts, stacks, position and all the other important tournament factors. You get his detailed insight into the thought processes of one of the best tourney players in the world, while also learning about the different strategies of playing a full table and playing short-handed, and how important aggression is part of Gus Hansen’s tournament strategy.

Gus Hansen’s book should be read after Harington’s because you have two very different styles, but one could argue that Hansen is more successful than Dan Harrington. Either playing style may be better suited to your own style of play, it’s just a matter of choice and comfort zone. Gus writes quite blatantly that most poker books are too theoretical and assert play that far too tight for tournaments.

The practical style poker books seems to carry more value as they are just that much easier to read, think about, and then take to the table yourself, trying to recognize similar situations you may have just soaked in. The book is really all about this, and makes it a valuable addition to your poker library.

The explanations of these hands seemed a lot more rationale than you might think as Hansen relied on his dutiful recorder and his indepth knowledge of blinds, copmetition, and payouts that helped his aggressive style to even further exploit his competition.