Gus Hansen Is Back: Great Dane Joins Team Winamax
4 minutes
Last Updated: April 28, 2024
One of the most famous poker players in the world, Gus Hansen, has joined Team Winamax, hinted at his imminent return to the poker scene which he’s been quite absent from for a number of years.
Hansen originally built his profile as both a tournament and a cash game crushed in the early 2000s, but reduced his activity on the circuit by a lot over the last decade.
That could all be over now that Hansen is part of Team Winamax, as he will be required to represent the French gaming giant at a number of poker stops around the world in the years to come.
Hansen’s new sponsorship deal was announced via a short Twitter video on Winamax’ official channels, while the player himself has shared some words about his new path.
You can check out the video below before you keep reading and find out the details on how the deal came to be and more.
Winamax Adds Gus to a Talented Team
Winamax is the largest French online poker operator, and one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, although players outside of Europe may not be too familiar with them.
The operator currently operates a team of poker ambassadors dubbed Team Winamax, which includes the likes of Adrian Mateos, Joao Vieira, and Leo Margets, all top-level poker players and highly notable figures in the poker world.
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The Team is made up of young and talented poker players, most of whom share the affinity for GTO poker and novel strategies, while Gus will be joining to add the flavor of old-school and perhaps teach the kids a thing or two about playing “street poker.”
Yet, Gus himself is an extremely talented poker player, and was one of those who invented the hyper-aggressive tournament poker approach that was so popular for many years.
With his new team, Hansen will be looking to expand his own poker horizons, learn new strategies, and certainly grow the game of poker with audiences around the world.
How the Deal Came Into Existence
Hansen was brought into the fold by Stephane Matheu, who works as manager for Team Winamax, and is an old friend of Gus Hansen.
Matheu and Hansen met many years ago in Las Vegas at the tennis courts. Their love for tennis brought them together, and eventually brought Stephane into the world of poker.
Now, many years later, it was Stephane who reached out to Hansen and offered him an opportunity to become a part of the operator’s expanding team.
According to Gus, the two had talked about working together on some things for a while, and the right opportunity just came up at the right time.
The final deal was apparently reached at last year’s WPT World Championship at the Wynn Las Vegas, where Hansen made his return to tournament poker after a long hiatus and joined the WPT Meet Up Game to give his fans a chance to meet him.
Who Is the Great Dane?
While most in the poker world probably know the name of Gus Hansen, many years have passed since his glory days.
The Danish player started his career in the early 2000s and immediately took the poker world by storm, winning a couple of WPT titles and eventually also conquering the Aussie Millions Championship in 2007.
Over his career in tournament poker, Gus has won every title you can imagine, and has amassed over $10,000,000 in tournament winnings back before the $50k and $100k high rollers were a thing.
What’s even more, Gus also grew to be a fearsome cash game player, doing very well in various Mixed Games in the live setting.
An infamous record that Gus holds is one of the biggest loser in online poker, as he dropped millions of dollars playing online cash games against the likes of Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Viktor Blom during the glory days of Full Tilt Poker.
Yet, despite his massive losses online, Gus has managed to maintain his lavish lifestyle, suggesting he has won it all back and then some in live games he’s been playing for years.
Over the last few years, Gus has only ever posted about his cash game exploits, often taking videos of million dollar stacks on the tables in the biggest games in Las Vegas.
Known as a bit of a playboy in his younger years, Gus is now a family man, and has spent the last few years in his native Coppenhagen, bringing up his firstborn and building up a family before returning to poker full-time.
Has Gus Hansen Still Got It?
Many years have passed since Gus Hansen was a feared name on the tournament poker circuit, and the question in everyone’s mind is, does Gus still have what it takes?
Indeed, the game has changed a lot and the new GTO approach to poker may help many young players avoid the things that make Gus’ game so dangerous.
On the other hand, it is unclear if Hansen has remained current on all the novelties in tournament poker, and it is likely he will need some help to start with.
Fortunately, Team Winamax is made up of just the right people to help him, as the likes of Adrian Mateos and Joao Vieira are well-equipped to help Hansen master the new approach to tournaments many players are using these days.
If you are curious about how Hansen will fare in the modern poker world, make sure to check out his performances at the ongoing EPT Monte Carlo and the upcoming SISMIX Marrakech, as the newest member of Team Winamax looks to flaunt the red W logo at every stop he can.
