Gus Hansen Interview
I haven’t read or heard much about Gus Hansen in a long time, so it was nice to read an interview with him, conducted by Poker Player. In terms of the interview, it’s mostly a fluff piece. It’s not all that interesting, like most interviews with famous people. I’m not sure whether it’s because the questions people ask are so generic and mechanical, or whether famous people are only interesting because they’re famous. I would say it’s a little bit of both. A lot of times, these types of magazine interviews just feel so unnatural.
I vaguely remember reading an interview in an old issue of the Paris Review. In that issue, they interviewed Haruki Murakami, who happens to be one of my favorite writers, and the interview was more like a conversation. I wish I could remember what they talked about, but the topics went all over the place, with many digressions off topic. The interview felt natural and was allowed to grow and develop into something. Or maybe, writers are just more fascinating than everyone else in this world.
Anyway, in the interview, Hansen talks about his win at the Aussie Millions Tournament. His answers are pretty vague, but I found one part pretty interesting. I’ve always thought of Hansen as a very loose and reckless player, because that’s how he’s portrayed on the WPT. But I’ve watched him on Poker After Dark a few times and even in the WSOP one year, and he’s really not that loose a player. So it was interesting when Hansen said that the WPT portrayed him as a different player than who really is.
The funny thing is that I became a fan of Gus Hansen after watching those WPT episodes, so I’m not really sure what to think. My penchant to be over aggressive and bluff almost every other hand was influenced a lot by Hansen’s style. But I do understand that there’s a certain allure to a loose aggressive strategy. Playing that way is a lot more fun than folding every single hand, not to mention that it’s a huge ego boost to make a successful bluff.
You can read the interview at Poker Player.
poker, Gus Hansen, World Poker Tour, Poker Player Magazine, Haruki Murakami, Paris Review
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