Gus Hansen is a legend in the online poker world, but not for the reasons he wants to be. The Great Dane had a net loss of nearly $21 million on Full Tilt Poker before taking a 19-month break. He’s now back, playing on PokerStars under the account name “broksi”.
One of the icons from the poker boom era, Gus has been M.I.A. from the poker world for quite some time. A $10 million lifetime live tournament winner, Hansen hasn’t even recorded a cash since March 2014.
But now he’s back in action. Earlier this month, the now 42-year old joined a high stakes cash game at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, along with some other old school pros such as Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Ivey.
Hansen’s PokerStars account is also in the red, showing a career $1,392,000 loss. But most of that can be attributed to pre-2016 Gus Hansen. In less than 1,700 hands played thus far, he is down about $7,500. To the casual poker player, that might seem like a horrible run. To high stakes pros, that’s merely a few big blinds.
No One Likes a Quitter
Gus hinted at quitting poker for good earlier this year. Appearing on Good Morning Denmark, a morning show that airs in his native land, The Great Dane suggested he was done with poker and would be leaving the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas for Denmark and a more relaxed lifestyle.
But, as they say, once a poker player, always a poker player. Many in the poker world assumed Hansen went broke. Either someone is staking him to play these high stakes games or he’s far from broke.
Where is Tom Dwan?
Now that Gus Hansen has resurfaced, many around the poker world are wondering where Tom Dwan is. That’s a good question. Rumors have floated around the internet about durrr’s disappearance.
Some have claimed he is unable to leave Macau, China until he pays off debts to his backers. Others just suggest he’s flat broke. None of these claims have been substantiated, however.
Dwan’s disappearance from the poker world is a bit strange. Until last year, Tom appeared in nearly every high stakes televised tournaments and cash games. The former online poker pro hasn’t even posted on his Twitter account since May 22, 2015. He was never a frequent Tweeter, but at least he used to post occasionally. Now, he leaves his followers wondering where he is.
Now that Gus has resurfaced online, perhaps Dwan will follow. After all, durrrr used to rake in the dough off Hansen on Full Tilt Poker. Or, maybe he really is broke like the rumors suggest and can’t afford to buy-in to the high stakes games.
