Gus Hansen Every Hand Revealed Book Review

Gus Hansen

About Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen Quick Facts

  • Nickname: The Great Dane
  • Current Residence: Monaco
  • Date of Birth: 13 February  1974
  • Place of Birth: Copenhagen, Denmark

Gus Hansen Achievements

  • Gus Hansen has finished in the money on four separate occasions at the World Series of Poker
  • The Danish player is the only poker star to have placed first in three World Poker Tour open tournaments.
  • In September 2006 Hansen won the first EPM tournament - The London All Star Challenge to take home £53,600.
  • Excluding his online play, Gus Hansen’s live tournament winnings surpassed $7,200,000 by 2008.

Every Hand Revealed Review

Throughout the January 2007 Aussie Millions Poker Championship No Limit Texas Hold’em Main Event, Gus Hansen stepped away from the poker table to speak his thoughts on each hand into a tiny recorder. The result is Every Hand Revealed – an exclusive analysis of the loose-aggressive strategy which allowed Gus Hansen to outlast and defeat 747 other players to finish in first place. 

As the book title suggests, the book follows Gus Hansen’s progress throughout the levels at the Aussie Millions - from the early stages of the tournament, where Gus Hansen finds himself carelessly losing half his stack with ill-timed calls and bluffs until the dramatic heads-up confrontation with Jimmy Fricke at the final table.

Hansen’s strategy is quite simple. He wins the pots he is meant to win. However, by applying pressure on his opponents he also picks up all the pots where nobody really hits the flop. In a high ante and blind structure, this accounts for a huge amount of chips.

After taking a look at the statistical studies found at the back of the book, it is clear to see that Hansen was not blessed with great starting hands and that his blind and ante stealing tactics account for a large percentage of his stack.

What are the strong points of the Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed?

  • Gus Hansen’s easy conversational tone is enjoyable and effortless to read
  • The reasoning behind crucial decisions is explained, providing a better insight into the seemingly crazy plays for which the ‘Great Dane’ is renowned
  • Every Hand Revealed is priced much cheaper than most poker guides

Where does Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed fall short?

  • Gus Hansen’s style will not work for everyone. Amateur poker players that try to emulate his aggressive and unpredictable style of play will often find themselves quickly stranded without chips.
  • This is not a comprehensive guide to winning at poker. The book exclusively deals with the Aussie Millions ante and blind structure. The poker strategies divulged by Gus Hansen are not necessarily good plays for cash games or tournaments without antes.

Who will benefit from Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed? 

Online and live poker tournament players can gain essential knowledge about a decision making process that isn’t always as simple as it looks. Gus Hansen’s comprehensive analysis of every poker hand shows how a strong player needs to combine table image, solid reads on opponents, odds calculations and position play to make profitable plays and outwit opponents.

If you are simply looking to take a peek into Gus Hansen’s head, this short book is an easy read.