Thursday, 28th March 2024 14:04
Home / Uncategorized / EPT10 Grand Final: Hansen makes it a cameo rather than starring role in Super High Roller

As we detailed earlier Gus Hansen was a newcomer to the Super High Roller today, taking a seat with 250,000 chips some eight levels after everyone else. It had looked like a brilliant decision, especially after he doubled-up through Isaac Haxton, whose aces were undone by Hansen’s flopped straight.

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Gus Hansen’s starting stack today

But, the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Whether your interpretation of that quote is from Lao Tzu, or from Blade Runner, it seems to sum up Gus Hansen’s day perfectly, or more accurately, his early afternoon.

Hansen is now among those confined to the rail for the remainder of the Super High Roller event. From start to finish his day lasted roughly 1 hour and 57 minutes, or just short of two full levels of play.

In other environments such behaviour might be considered a cry for help. Not here. In a Super High Roller it’s the type of behaviour that inspires grudging respect, a style of poker that harks back to the olden days, before the game was scrubbed clean of much of its absurdity.

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Gus Hansen, one hour 56 minutes before busting

Hansen had amassed a stack of more than 760,000 at one point today. After doubling through Haxton he then eliminated Tobias Reinkemeier, further enhancing his prospects. But then things took a turn for the worse.

His last hand came against Daniel Colman, who had flopped top two pairs on an ace-jack-seven board. Hansen had ace king and had bet, raised and called when Colman moved all-in. With the cards on their backs Hansen used both hands to push his chips forward, unconventional to the last moment.

He sat for a while as Colman stacked his new chips. A player is never really told to leave, they just know they have to. Hansen looked at his phone, then at his iPod which he checked a second time, perhaps to make sure his personal exit music was playing. Then, picking up a brown envelope, he got up to leave. Antonio Esfandiari in the seat next to him patted the table in farewell.

That was the last of Hansen, not long here but always shining brightly, at a cost of €854 a minute.

All the hand-by-hand action, including chip counts, will be in the panel at the top of the main super high roller page”. We will have feature pieces below that.

Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter.

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