Danish Dynamisk

When people talk about Danish poker, they almost invariably come up with the name Gus Hansen. "The Great Dane" is, of course, a true poker star, with a resume that most other players can only dream of having. However, because he has a mansion in Monaco and usually plays in Vegas, Gus has fairly little resemblance to Danish poker anymore – other than that he was born in Denmark.



One of the persons who has been very active in putting Danish poker on the map is Frederik Hostrup, probably better known by his online handle "Dynamisk." As the chairman of the Danish Poker Federation, he is the brains behind a successful Team Poker competition, has big plans for Card Player Denmark, and is part of the Poker Team Denmark that features World Poker Tour France winner Christian Grundtvig and 2005 WPT Five-Diamond World Poker Classic winner Rehne Pedersen. Plus, Frederik has also won the PartyPoker Sunday tournament no less than seven times. It's time to have a chat with this 42-year-old from Copenhagen.


Rolf Slotboom: For those who don't know you, can you please introduce yourself?



Frederik Hostrup: My name is Frederik Hostrup Pedersen. I used to have a lot of different jobs before I turned poker pro in 2001. I actually call myself an online poker pro, as I make most of my money on the Internet. I make my living playing the relatively big multitable tournaments – say, $200-$1,000 buy-ins. I try to restrict myself to playing just these types of events, because in all honesty, I am a losing ring-game player. In addition to playing, I have recently taken on a few endeavors away from the table, mostly things that could help Danish poker grow.



RS: Can you tell us more about these endeavors?



FH: Well, I am the chairman of the Danish Poker Federation. We've got eight poker clubs that we run in a strictly nonprofit way. We charge only a small membership fee, and right now our organization has grown to 3,600 members. We limit ourselves to hosting just tournaments for our members; there are no cash games. The clubs are free to organize things the way they see fit, as long as it's within the framework of our federation. Keep in mind that live poker in Denmark is still not entirely legal, and that, for instance, many of the problems we are faced with still revolve around the old issue, "Is poker a game of chance or a game of skill?" In order to promote poker as a responsible and skillful pastime, we try to maintain a laid-back atmosphere, and we play with fairly limited prize pools. This is to avoid a situation in which the government thinks, "We need to protect our citizens against all of this gambling."



But that's not all I do. As you are well aware, I am now in the process of launching Card Player Denmark – or, to be more accurate, the negotiations seem to be going in a rather successful manner. Even though there are two poker magazines in Denmark already, we are convinced that there is room for another one. We wanted to focus not necessarily on international poker or American stars, as the two other magazines mostly do, but on things that happen within Denmark. And in combination with the expertise and professionalism within Card Player, we expect that the magazine will be a huge success.



RS: I heard that you are involved in a series of team tournaments throughout Denmark. Is this a series of events for high-stakes players?



FH: No, Rolf, quite the contrary. The prize pools are fairly small. The first year, Ladbrokes guaranteed the $20,000 prize pool, and for the second year, it has been $50,000 or $60,000 – which is still very cheap for them in relation to the exposure they get. Many of the prizes include trips to poker events, holidays, and so on rather than money. It is a competition in which teams are formed consisting of members of the Danish Poker Federation, and they score points based upon their results. Of course, no two team members can ever play at the same table, to avoid collusion. All of this leads to a nice and skillful team competition – so skillful, in fact, that our own Poker Team Denmark has not even been able to make it into the final round. Things are going so well that next year we will have one Major League, leading to a true "Danish Team Championship."



RS: You mentioned Poker Team Denmark. Are you the captain, or just one of the players?



FH: I am simply one of the players. Yes, the team has been created by the Danish Poker Federation, but there is no economical bond. The team consists of some talented young players, and I am one of the old guys. We especially have some great Internet players among us.



RS: You are known as one of the better multitable tournament players on the Internet, yet in live events, you don't seem to do all that well. Why is that?



FH: Well, you are right. I noticed that myself, and right now I am working very hard to become as good live as online. For instance, at the EPT in Deauville, I made a great call against John Kabbaj with a mere pair of deuces, and as a result, I ended day one as the clear chip leader. But then on the second day, I simply gave away my chips with an A-Q. An Englishman had made a huge overbet before the flop. I read this as weakness and came over the top with my A-Q – only to lose all of my money against his pocket aces. Next time, I'll know that I should not risk my stack with a fairly marginal hand when there is no real need to do so.



I also remember the pot-limit Omaha tournament at the 2004 Master Classics, where you did the reporting. I got aces no fewer than four times at the final table – but the fourth time I had them turned out to be my last. I even flopped an ace for top set, and on the turn I still had the nuts. It was Simon Trumper who then made a big all-in bet, with what proved to be a big draw.



With more than 50 percent of the total chips in play in the middle, this was without a doubt the hand of the tournament. Unfortunately, Simon hit his draw on the river and then went on to win the tournament. Ah, well – such is poker. You also have to get lucky to win events, and, obviously, I cannot complain about my results in recent years.



But what I am most proud of, more than any tournament win I've had, is the success of the Danish Poker Federation. It really feels like my "baby," and nothing pleases me more than to see the current poker boom in Denmark – knowing that this federation has played at least some part in the growth.

Frederik Hostrup – Facts and Figures



Full name:

Frederik Hostrup Pedersen

Date of birth:

July 22, 1964

Place of birth:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Current residence:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Marital status:

Unmarried. Girlfriend is expecting first child (a boy) around Oct. 29

Education:
A four-year study for social worker, right after college

Former jobs:

Social worker, real estate, private entrepreneur

Current job/Turned pro in:
Chairman of the Danish Poker Federation, online poker pro since 2001

Favorite game:
No-limit hold'em multitable tournaments

Least favorite games:

Online cash games

Strengths:

Timing and the psychological (more than just the technical) side of the game – for instance, in the battle between players. In multitable tournaments, his end game, more than anything because he has been there so many times – while for most of his opponents, it is usually a fairly new situation.

Weaknesses:

Concentration and stamina. Also, he is a bit of a gambler, and sometimes goes out to play a little blackjack or roulette when he should be preparing for a tournament the next day.

Words to live by/Mantra:

Enjoy – and don't regret things.

Most influence on career:
His mother. She has had the most influence on the person he has become – and as a result, also on his career.

Most respected players:

Christian Grundtvig, Rehne Pedersen, Patrik Antonius ("He's always accumulating chips"), Theo Jorgensen, and Mads Andersen. Also, he loved the way Chris Moneymaker won his title – by playing the game to the max and by following his good luck.

Online nickname:

Dynamisk (means "Dynamic" in English)

Sites involving Frederik:

http://www.holdpoker.dk/ (site about the Team Poker event), http://www.pokerteam.dk/ (about Poker Team Denmark), http://www.pokerforbundet.dk/ (about the Danish Poker Federation)

Sponsor:

Pokerplex

Poker Team Denmark Members Successful

Huge win overseas for Rehne Pedersen



Rehne Pedersen, also called "Carlos," booked a huge win in December 2005 at the WPT Bellagio Five-Diamond World Poker Classic. Heads up against fellow Scandinavian Patrik Antonius, Rehne won a crucial pot. All in before the flop, he was dominated with the A 4 against Patrik's A K. The flop came 7 6 5, and then the 3 on the turn gave Rehne a straight. However, Patrik had picked up a flush draw, and lots of people in the audience started chanting, "Spade! Spade! Spade! Spade!" However, a blank came to give Rehne a massive chip lead – and just a few hands later, he was able to finish things off. All in all, he won $2,078,18, a gold-and-diamond bracelet, and a $25,500 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship.

Seventh victory for Dynamisk in the PartyPoker Sunday Tournament ($750,000 guaranteed)



Having already won this Sunday tournament six times (buy-ins between $200 and $500, and usually around 3,000-5,500 entrants), Frederik Hostrup won it a record-breaking seventh time in the spring of 2006. Short-stacked, he tripled up when his pocket fives held up in a three-way pot against A-Q and A-J. Not much later, he went all in from the small blind with Q-Q and was called by the big blind's A-K, which did not improve. With fewer than 20 players left, Frederik then successfully came over the top of his opponents' reraises on two occasions, making them fold there and then. Both times, the Dane had just a moderate holding, A-10 and Q-J. But because he was aware that his opponents knew that he could have made the initial raise with a wide range of hands (being so aggressive), it was clear to him that his opponents' reraises didn't necessarily mean they had big hands. This read proved to be correct, as Frederik's opponents couldn't stand the heat and folded. Once he gained the chip lead through these two hands, he simply cruised to a seventh win – for a $150,000 first prize.

Christian Grundtvig takes The only WPT event on European soil



With four aggressive Scandinavians as the final four, and very high blinds and antes, the final table of the WPT event at the Aviation Club de France was much more aggressive than most final tables. Christian Grundtvig had been lucky to even stay in the event the day before, when his pocket kings managed to outdraw Kenneth Strandli's pocket aces. At the final table, Christian was in good shape when he first eliminated Henrik Witt in fourth place (with A-K versus A-Q), and then Thomas Wahlroos in third place, when his queens held up against his opponent's A-7. Grundtvig, who had made final tables in major tournaments before but had never won one, started the heads-up stage with more than a 2-to-1 chip lead. He simply kept the pressure on the strong Jani Sointula. Once he had 80 percent of the chips in play, he called with sixes against Jani's all-in raise with A-5. The best hand held up to give the Dane his first major title – and $712,500 first prize.