Gus Hansen finally writes a poker book? 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 always seemed indifferent to his popularity and seemed more enthused with simply playing. He just loves to play, and challenge himself, and yes… gamble. Does Gus love to gamble? If you must ask that, then of course, yes he does. But in this new poker book, you learn a lot more about how the math of Gus Hansen actually explains away that gambling moniker and theorem.
This book is great, but because Gus’ name is on it, it really didn’t have to be. 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 Poker 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.
Either way, thie concept of going over your own recordings as a self check system put Gus in excellent 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 multi-table tournament strategy.
Gus Hansen’s book should be read after Harington’s because you have two very different styles, but one could argue that Hansen is more successful than Dan Harrington. It is simply a matter of playing style, and both of these professional players have been very successful. 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. You can take these examples and really realte them to your own tournament experiences.
The explanations of these hands seemed a lot more rationale than you might think as Hansen relied on his dutiful recorder and his indepth knowledge of blinds, copmetition, and payouts that helped his aggressive style to even further exploit his competition.
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October 6, 2008
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