Hansen in his glory days: winning the 2007 Aussie Millions
The $6.3 million online deficit shouldered by Tom Dwan in 2009 may eclipse the $5.3 million (according to the High Stakes Database) blown by Gus Hansen, but it hasn’t stopped the Great Dane from taking a poker sabbatical.
According to his Danish blog, Hansen will take a ‘study break’ in order to sift through hand histories and analyse his game. He will recuperate in his native Denmark, and come back refreshed for a 2010 campaign.
Despite a successful start to 2009, Hansen suffered crushing losses over the summer to the likes of Di ‘Urindanger’ Dang and Ziigmund on Full Tilt Poker. Many feel Gus hasn’t been able to make a smooth transition from NL Hold’em to Pot-Limit Omaha. His relentless aggression borders on recklessness, and he is now a prime target amongst other nosebleed stakes regulars. Hansen’s intense rivalry with temperamental Finn Ilari ‘Ziigmund’ Sahamies came to a head when Gus accused him of having financial backing. To add to his woes, Gus reportedly lost a €1 million bet when Rafael Nadal crashed out of Roland Garros to Robin Soderling.
The year hasn’t been all doom and gloom for Hansen. Earlier this week we saw him book a handsome $600k profit (mainly courtesy of ‘flips’), and he final tabled the prestigious $50k H.O.R.S.E event at the WSOP for $123k. Furthermore, he launched GusHansentv, and continues to be one of the most marketable players in poker.