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Gus Hansen: From Backgammon to Poker
Gus Hansen is a professional poker player who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 13, 1974. Despite the fact that poker is almost non-existent, as he describes it, in Denmark, he has nevertheless found a way to learn how to play such casino game.
Gus Hansen's life as a gambler is very interesting. First, he was not really a fan of poker. It was only in 1997 that he started to play professional poker. But prior to that, he was a backgammon player known not only in Denmark or Monaco but in the whole wide world. Aside from that, Gus Hansen was also a champion tennis player when he was a teenager. With his achievements, it did not seem like he would someday end up becoming a professional poker player.
Despite the fact that Gus Hansen learned how to play professional poker in the 1990s, he still pursued a profession in playing backgammon when he relocated to New York City in 2000. Unfortunately, his interest in the game was waning that he decided to try his luck in other gambling activities.
Gus Hansen was introduced to the game of poker in 1993 when he was studying at the University of California at Santa Cruz as an exchange student. His debut in the poker world started when he participated at the Ocean View Card Room located in Santa Cruz, California. He was only a novice player at that time but his playing style was already aggressive.
Gus Hansen has participated in numerous World Series of Poker events. The first time was in 2004 when he joined the main event of the World Series of Poker wherein he placed one hundred fiftieth. In 2006, this professional poker player almost had the chance to win first place when he participated in the Tournament of Champions. He reached the final table but was soon eliminated too. This professional poker player also finished in the money in sixty first place in the US$10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Championship of the World Series of Poker. He may have not placed first but he was able to take home the cash prize of US$154,194.
Gus Hansen has also emerged victorious in his participation in several World Poker Tour events. This professional poker player is known to have become the only professional poker player to win open tournaments of the World Poker Tour three times. He also became an inductee into the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame in 2004, joining poker giants James Garner and Doyle Brunson.
Gus Hansen's achievements in the European Poker Masters event, the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, and other poker events have also been remarkable. Furthermore, he expanded his contribution to the poker world by maintaining the Web site www.pokerchamps.com, which he established with his fellow professional poker players. Indeed, the decision of Gus Hansen to shift from being a professional backgammon player to becoming a professional poker player has been a right one for him.