Gus Hansen is a remarkable poker player who achieved professional stardom during the first season of the World Poker Tour, winning first place in both the Bellagio Casino and Commerce Casino events. Born outside Copenhagen, Denmark, February 13, 1974, Gustav Hansen now lives in Monaco as a career poker player, though he actually started out as a youth tennis champion and world class backgammon player.

Gus prided himself on his athletic abilities as a teenager, competing in numerous sporting events, both indoors and outdoors. Gus Hansen was a very successful junior athlete before moving to New York City, New York in 2000. He tried to make a name for himself in the professional backgammon circuit, but claimed the field was too small for his taste.

In 1993, Gus took on the poker world while enrolled as an exchanged student at University of California at Santa Cruz. He began playing poker regularly at the Ocean View Card Room in Santa Cruz. Gus became notorious for his loose, aggressive playing style, often bluffing no matter what cards he held. This led to his opponents frequently calling or even raising his bets when Gus has a legitimately good poker hand.

Gus Hansen is now reputed for his inability to be read by his opposition. Hansen mixes up his playing styles constantly throughout every event, leaving the competition at a loss for predicting his skilled maneuvers. Apparently having no feasible strategy at all has become the perfect poker strategy for Gus Hansen.

Gus Hansen Achieves Poker Stardom - WPT
Gus became a celebrity poker icon in the debut season of the World Poker Tour. Gus took down not one, but two, final tables in the WPT’s first season, including the Bellagio Casino and Commerce Casino events. Hansen also finished in first place at the WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational event.

Hansen is currently the only poker player to win three WPT open tournaments. In 2004, Gus was inducted into the World Poker tour Walk of Fame, alongside poker legend Doyle Brunson and star of the famed poker playing ‘Maverick’, James Garner.

Gus Hansen and the WSOP
Hansen’s poker skills are less prevalent in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), but certainly notable achievements, nonetheless. In the 2004 WSOP Main Event, Gus finished in 150th place, far enough into the event to cash. The Tournament of Champions in 2006 saw Gus make his way to the WSOP Main Event final table, but he lost in the very first hand, holding Ace-King versus a pair of 9’s.

In the 2007 WSOP, Gus Hansen pocketed $154,194 after placing 61st in the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Championship, from a field of 6,358 competitors.

Gus Hansen and the EPM
In the European Poker Masters (EPM) inaugural event, Gus Hansen beat out the entire field to take the first place prize of £53,600. Heads-up action came down to Gus and the talented opposition of Marc Goodwin, who settled for second.

Gus Hansen’s Other Poker Accomplishments
Gus appeared in the first Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, a single-table event featuring some of the largest names on the professional poker circuit. After a grueling battle, Gus took down the table for the first place prize of $100,000.

The PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup tournament in 2006 was won by Gus Hansen’s Danish team, which included Theo Jorgensen and Kim Christofte.

Gus made history by winning NBC’s first ‘Poker After Dark’ series, competing against 6 other professional poker players to take down the $120,000 first place prize.

January of 2007 saw Gus heading to Melbourne, Australia, where he whittled his way through a field of 747 players, taking yet another first place win, at the $10,500 Aussie Millions Main Event. Gus collected a staggering $1,500,000 AUD for this victory.

Gus Hansen can be seen on the Professional Poker Tour and High Stakes Poker, in its second season. Gus pocketed the second highest winnings in the poker show’s history going heads-up with Daniel Negreanu, taking the $575,700 prize with four-5’s over Negreanu’s three-6’s.

Gus Hansen’s Poker Losses
Though he has cashed more than $5,000,000 over his professional poker career, Gus admits to having struggled with financial problems, attributed to frequent losses in live cash games. Hansen is not shy when it comes to money related issues, claiming to have lost a million at various poker matches. Gus also wishes he could stop betting on sports, admitting to being a perennial loser at such gambling.

Gus Hansen Behind The Scenes
In 2003, Gus co-founded the popular online poker room, Poker Champs, where he sustained house pro status until 2005 when the company was acquired by British gaming company BetFair for 100-million Danish kroner (approx. $15-million USD). Even after the online poker operation switched hands, Gus remained involved in the 2005 PokerChamps Danish Championship.

“Texas Hold’em Poker Advanced Strategies With Gus Hansen” is part of a series of instructional DVD’s, “Going All In”, in which Gus appears, offering his advice, strategies and other useful information to poker enthusiasts and veterans.

Gus can be seen wearing ‘Frank Q’ clothing in all public appearances. He is currently the spokes-model for the Danish clothing line.

John Juanda is a highly successful, professional poker player, residing in Los Angeles, California. Juanda has made the final table in a host of major poker tournaments, awarding him more than $6,800,000 in cash winnings over his career. He is currently a member of Team Full Tilt.

Johnson “JJ” Juanda was born and raised in Indonesia, of Chinese decent, on July 8, 1971. Juanda was an athletic student growing up. In high school, he was a track star, specializing in 200-meter sprints and 5,000-meter races. John spent some time as a door-to-door salesman, peddling Bibles.

Juanda moved to the United States in 1990, where he attended Oklahoma State University, then Seattle University, earning his MBA (Master of Business Administration). John showed great interest in becoming a doctor, and would have done so had he not made the game of poker his life work.

John Juanda began playing poker professionally in 1996, entering various tournaments and major events. It was not until 2001 that Juanda saw his first real success, winning the World Poker Open Championship. His career has flourished ever since.

John Juanda and the WSOP
At the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 2002, John took down an A-5 Triple Draw Lowball event, awarding his first bracelet and cash winnings of $49,620. In the 2003 WSOP, Juanda found himself the proud owner of two more WSOP bracelets, winning the $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split and $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha events. Juanda received $130,200 and $203,840 respectively for the victories.

Though not for lack of trying, Juanda has not received a WSOP bracelet since 2003. His success has not faltered, though. John continued to earn millions over his career in other major events.

John Juanda and the WPT
Juanda has made 6 final tables in World Poker Tour (WPT) events, along with a few near misses, though he has yet to take first place. In the WPT’s first season, at the Bellagio Casino, Juanda finished in 2nd place. In the second season, John finished in 3rd place in the WPT Invitational and just missed the final table, finishing 7th in the PartyPoker Cruise. Juanda saw three final table finishes in the third season of the WPT, taking 4th place at the Mirage, 5th in Aruba and 6th at the Bellagio. John came back again in WPT season 5, earning 5th place at Niagara Falls and 8th in the Legends event.

John Juanda’s Other Poker Accomplishments
Juanda found himself in the runner up position, both in 2001 and 2002, for the Card Player’s Tournament Player of the Year award. However, he did receive the Tournament Champion of the Year award in 2002. Over his distinguished career, John Juanda has been presented with three Best All-Around Player awards.

In 2004, John Juanda skillfully climbed to the top, winning the first Professional Poker Tour. He made 14 other final tables in the same year. The Five-Star World Poker Classic and National Heads-Up Poker Championship of 2005 both saw John Juanda finishing in 5th place.

2005 was a great year for John, taking 6th place and $500,000 cash in the Monte Carlo Millions, followed by a win at the Monte Carlo Millions Consolation Tournament. Juanda then entered the “FullTiltPoker.Net Invitational, Live from Monte Carlo”, where he finished in second place.

Juanda’s skills kept improving as 2006 rolled around. He flew to the land down under to take on a field of big names in the poker industry at the Crown Australian Poker Championship in Melbourne, Australia. Competing against the likes of Tony Bloom, Tony G, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey, Jeff Lisandro and Mike Sexton, John Juanda bested them all, taking first place and the $1,000,000 AUD prize in the Aussie Millions Speed Poker Million Dollar Challenge.

John Juanda and Team Full Tilt
John Juanda is currently a member of Team Full Tilt. He can be seen playing online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker on his Mac computer. Members of Full Tilt Poker can find Juanda regularly playing in a variety of poker games at the online poker room. Juanda is happy to chat with other players, offer his advice or take on a challenge.

As a part of Team Full Tilt, poker enthusiasts can visit Juanda’s official site and profile at Full Tilt Poker to read tips from the pros and news from the poker world, or view a gallery of images depicting John Juanda in his element.

More About John Juanda
John Juanda resides in Los Angeles, California. In the poker world, Juanda goes by the nickname “JJ”, short for his full name, Johnson Juanda.

Phil Ivey is a professional poker player, member of Team FullTilt, and winner of 5 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets. Ivey is one of the youngest stars in the professional poker circuit, known for his ability to play off a 2-7 off-suit - the worst hand in poker - as if he were holding the best hand, pocket Aces.

Born in Riverside, California, February 1, 1976, Ivey’s family moved cross-country to Roselle, New Jersey when Phil was only 3 months old. Like many professional poker players, Ivey got his start very early, already sharpening his poker skills at the age of eight. Phil would play penny-ante Five Card Stud with his grandfather, who cheated in the hope of showing young Phil the dangers of gambling. Young Ivey paid little mind to his grandfather’s intentions, however, asserting confidently that he would grow up to be a professional gambler one day.

At the age of 18, Phil Ivey acquired a fake ID and hit the casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While not a profitable venture at the time, Ivey continued to hone his skills in this manner, eventually moving to Atlantic City at the age of 20. Ivey’s fake ID poker adventures earned him the nickname, “No Home Jerome”.

In the late 1990’s, Phil Ivey was employed at a New Brunswick, New Jersey telemarketing firm, where he frequently participated in poker games amongst his co-workers. In his early 20’s, Ivey was still perfecting his poker skills, having no idea the success that would come to him in the following years.

Phil Ivey and the WSOP
Phil Ivey saw his first major success in the 2000 WSOP. He whittled his way through the competition, making two final tables and winning his first WSOP Bracelet in a $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament. Ivey earned himself $195,000 for the win, sending the biggest names to the rail at the final table, including Amarillo Slim and Phil Hellmuth. Ivey became the first player ever to defeat Amarillo Slim in heads-up poker.

Phil’s phenomenal success struck fear in the competition, which suddenly showed much respected for his young talents. In the 2002 WSOP, Phil Ivey matched the records of Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest, winning 3 WSOP Bracelets in a single year. That feat awarded him more than $350,000 in cash winnings.

The 2005 WSOP saw Phil Ivey take home his 5th bracelet in a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament, worth $635,603.

Though Phil has yet to win the WSOP outright, he has shown impressive results at the Main Event, finishing in the top 25, three out of four years. In 2002, Ivey finished in 23rd place, 2003 in 10th place and 2005 in 20th place.

Phil Ivey and the World Poker Tour (WPT)
Phil’s World Poker Tour (WPT) history is a heartbreaking story to some. The professional poker player has finished in 7 final tables, but has yet to take 1st place in the Main Event. His closest finish was in 2nd place in the WPT Season One, World Poker Open. Overall, Ivey has pocketed about 1.3 million from WPT final tables. Coincidentally, several of Ivey’s final hands that knocked him out of the WPT were the same - Ace-Queen.

Phil Ivey and the European Poker Tour (EPT)
Phil Ivey made his first European Poker Tour (EPT) appearance in September of 2006, in Barcelona, Spain. Ivey made his way through the opposition to find himself seated at the final table as the chip-leader. After a long hard battle, heads-up action came between Ivey and Norway’s Bjørn-Erik Glenne. Ivey would finish in second place as Glenne came out on top.
Phil Ivey and the EPM

Europe’s first independent poker tour, the European Poker Masters (EPM), was too much of a draw for Phil Ivey to pass up. He made his way to London in 2006 to compete against the strongest line-up of poker players ever witnessed in Europe. Ivey was a fan favorite, expected to take down the tournament by many. Again, Phil made it to the final table, but did not take the 1st place prize. Phil Ivey finished in 7th place, pocketing a prize just under $15,000.

More Notable Achievements from Phil Ivey
Though 1st place finishes were not in the cards for most of Phil Ivey’s professional career, he did find a string of good fortune in late 2005. On November 20, Phil took 1t place in the final table of the Monte Carlo Millions, awarding him a cool million in cash. The very next day, Ivey played in the Full Tilt Invitational, Live from Monte Carlo”. His combination of skills and luck held true, again finishing in 1st place and earning him another $600,000.

Phil Ivey Outside of Poker
Phil Ivey, who now resides in Las Vegas with his wife, Luciaetta, has many other hobbies outside of his professional poker career. He is a noted basketball fan, with favorite teams including the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. Ivey enjoys playing video games, making proposition bets among his among his friends and colleagues, and has more recently taken a liking to the game of golf.

Phil Ivey took part in the World Series of Golf, a combination of Golf and Poker, where players must bet or fold as they come to each hole. Ivey finished in 3rd place, though he admitted afterwards that he should have arrived sooner for more practice.