Gus Hansen’s Million Dollar Hot Streak

Gus Hansen spent much of 2010 deflecting criticism for several horrible online performances, and while he managed to net some pretty significant live wins and even to end the year with an impressive high stakes comeback, it’s hard to say 2010 was much of a success for the Great Dane. Clearly his fortunes have changed…for now. Only two months into 2011, Hansen has pocketed more than $2 million in pots at Full Tilt Poker’s high stakes tables including upwards of $1 million this week alone.

Even as we write this, Hansen continues to grind over at his sponsor site, Full Tilt Poker. The forums are on fire with praise, and there’s plenty of spectators following the action at his tables, too. It’d be all too easy to say that he’s finally turned things around, except the scenario is all too similar to last year’s roller coaster ride. For those that have forgotten, Hansen also started 2010 thoroughly into the black. At one point he was up almost $5 million before his poker mojo deserted him.

Of the other online pros that have taken to the tables this week, Hansen is the clear leader. Patrik Antonius is also having a stellar year and posted a whopping single-session win of nearly $180,000 earlier in the week. Still, it seems unlikely going into the weekend that anyone’s going to top Hansen’s $1 million-plus haul.

Unfortunately, whenever someone like Hansen is leaning on the happy end of the odds stick, it seems like another fan favorite is getting a beating from it. This week Daniel “jungleman12” Cates and Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond are the ones taking the beating. Together they’ve lost as much as Hansen has one – well over a half million a piece.

Cates’ virtual beating has come primarily at the hands of newcomer Lindqvro while Galfond can credit more than half his weekly losses to Jared Bleznick. This week’s third biggest loser, immediately after Cates and Galfond, is Hansen’s primary donor UarePileous. While we doubt he’ll be back for more any time soon, it seems likely that the Great Dane will continue his winning streak through the weekend. Stay tuned for more high stakes online results when the dust settles on Sunday.

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