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#611 – Tournament Star Contest – Observations and Excerpts, Part I – Gus, Etc.
This is all about Essay Contest 3B, “Tournament Star”. I judged this one first because it had the most entries. I will judge the entries in the other two contests, Cash Game Killer and Enigma, is quickly as I can. (WARNING: I have to finish losing my ass in FTOPS X first, and then the Relay For Life-Scottsdale Kick-Off is Tuesday night and, as a committee co-chair and the husband of the event co-chair, it will be uncool if I don’t devote some time to preparing and attending that function. But soon as I can, okay?)
The next several posts are (my) Observations and (your) Excerpts from Tournament Star:
There was a correct answer to the question of “Who should be your coach for the WSOP Final Table?” It is, of course, Gus Hansen, and nobody got it.
The closest anyone came was Norman, who first chose Howard Lederer – a popular choice – but he wanted Howard only for “who he would recommend as my coach.” (Sorry Bub.) Then, concluding, “he would probably not respond” (sorry again, but you don’t play much on the site), he would offer Daniel Negreanu – another popular choice 20% for 20 hours of coaching. Norman concluded by saying, “If Daniel and I could not negotiate a deal, I would then offer 20% of my winnings for the same services to Annie, Chris, Phil, Gus, etc. – as many pros as I had to go to until I got an acceptance.”
First, for 20%, I don’t think you’d have trouble getting anyone, and that would include the Ghost of Johnny Moss. Second, that’s the only mention of Gus as a final table coach, right before “etc.” and “as many pros as I had to go to”.
Gus Hansen is obviously the correct answer. He is a great tournament player and an incredible final-table strategist. As the author of the excellent hand-by-hand tournament analysis book, Every Hand Revealed, he can clearly teach.
What’s more, I heard a rumor from a usually very reliable source that Gus Hansen DID coach a player at the final table – the winner, countryman Peter Eastgate. (Actually, Hansen lists Monaco as his residence, though he hails from Denmark and possibly chose Monaco for tax reasons, playboy lifestyle, or both.)
My source told me, while we were speaking casually, the Gus skipped Foxwoods because he was coaching the Danish player who had made the Main Event final table. I later sent him a text message after realizing that Eastgate had made the final two. I asked, “Is Peter Eastgate the guy?”
He immediately responded, “The Dane. I think.”
Then he sent me another text message a few minutes later that “Gus tore or severely strained his meniscus. He goes under the knife tomorrow. So he was not involved.”
This was while Eastgate and Ivan Demidov were duking it out for the world championship, so I thought it would be a great story, if true. But now my source was equivocating. Like Gus had coached SOME OTHER Dane? Or because he just hurt himself and was having surgery the day AFTER the final table, he didn’t already coach Eastgate?
So I called my source from the press box at the Rio. He didn’t pick up but a few minutes later sent me a text saying he couldn’t talk or text anymore … because he was watching TV.
What could I write after that? Hey everybody. Gus Hansen coached the world champion. Or was supposed to. Or didn’t. Or had surgery on his meniscus. Or some combination. Or none of it.
That’s actually not the first time that’s happened to me with a story about Gus, or even the second. The first was during my research for The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King. Gus had played Beal and also sweated Chip Reese when Andy and Chip played $100,000-$200,000. Two trusted sources promised to put us in touch and a third gave me his cell number. Neither source came through and the number turned out to be, according ot the recording, non-working.
Then there was the time when there was more at stake than some silly book I was working on. When Andy Beal and the pros played at the Wynn in February 2006, at one point Beal won their entire $10 million stake and wanted to keep playing.
Gus Hansen had come to the Wynn Poker Room that morning to say hello to Andy. I honestly didn’t know if Gus was even part of the group; his name never came up. And just minutes after Ted Forrest, Beal’s last opponent, left the poker room, Gus reappeared and told Andy he thought he could raise the $10 million to continue the match by 5 PM that day. Because Beal was postponing a trip to China for these games – at least that’s what he told me – he was anxious to leave town if no one showed up with more money to play $50,000-$100,000 Texas Hold ‘Em.
“Are you sure you can do it today?” Beal asked.
Gus responded, “Andy, I like math. And I think there is a 72.9% probability that I can raise the money by 5 PM.”
All afternoon, I had to field calls from Andy Beal, asking if I heard from Gus, if I could try to reach Gus, if I thought Gus would raise the money, if he should stick around for Gus. Then I had to call all the players I knew who knew Gus to see if I could reach him. No one had his number. One pro said, “He’s playing at the Commerce. Call the poker room.” This was only an hour after I saw him at the Wynn.
Neither Gus Hansen, $10 million, or even a phone call ever showed up.
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