Gus Hansen Finally Writes a Poker Book

By Marty Smith

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. Gus never really bothered with marketing himself or taking advantage of his popularity. He just loves to play, and challenge himself, and yes... gamble. If you know anything about Gus Hansen, it's that he loves to gamble. But in this new book, you learn a lot more about how the math of Gus Hansen actually explains away that gambling moniker and theorem.

This book is delightfully insightful and forthright. 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 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.

Nonetheless he was definitely in a good position 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 game.

Hansen's book should be read after Harrington's because you have two very different styles, but one could argue that Hansen is more successful than Harrington. This is more a less a personal slant as to what style you can play effectively where one style is no better than the other. 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. Gus Hansen's book is all about this, and it makes it easily worth every cent.

There were a lot of tournament structure and strategy notes that Gus explained in this book too, as he made a habit of recapping the day's events, setting up for the day ahead, analyzing blinds changes and payout structures, and really analyzing his opponents quite frequently as the tournament changed.

Surely an advanced poker this is, from one of the world's most gifted players.
Marty Smith has video reviews all the top poker books and produces tournament strategy videos that are free just for signing up.
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