Gus Hansen Versus the Real Maniac

Greetings, Card Player fans! I have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts on poker with you, and I am really looking forward to challenging you with my ideas. You will be able to find my blog on www.CardPlayer.com at least every Friday, and in most weeks, with several additional updates. For longer strategic reflections, my column will appear here in the magazine on regular occasions. You also are more than welcome to follow my every move, shoot a question for my exclusive "Ask Gus" section, get updated on the latest "Gussip," or follow ringside live-blogging from all major tournaments I will be playing at my new online community at www.ThePlayr.com.

It would seem that there is a misprint in the title of this column, since I am more often than not depicted as the "lunatic." That was then, this is now!

For five years, TV producers have worked hard to give me the "Madman" label. I think it is fair to say that they have succeeded. Meanwhile, the game of poker has evolved around the world. Whether the biggest impact comes from watching the so-called stars on TV or from playing endless hours on computers is hard to say, but what I know for sure is that I am not the only one out there who's playing a tad crazy. Especially the young players gathering at tournaments nowadays have proven to be very fond of kamikaze-style maneuvers. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure that I make enough moves to qualify for the "maniac" category anymore. Maybe I never did!

"Dmmikkel" Going Crazy at the Main Event
Let's rewind to day 4 of the World Series of Poker main event in 2007. I had cruised for three days with a healthy chip stack, without ever being in danger of the feared elimination. I had yet to play an all-in pot and had constantly roamed in the upper sphere amongst the chip leaders. Day 4 was moving along, but not quite as I wanted it to. I hadn't dragged too many pots, and as my chip stack deteriorated, the blinds and antes kept climbing. I played my first all-in pot with two tens against Tuan Lam's two queens, and was very lucky to stay alive when a 10 hit the board. That put me right back in contention with about 1.8 million in chips. Unfortunately, an ugly seat change was coming, and I was to face the overwhelming chip leader in Norway's Dag Martin Mikkelsen, aka online youngster "dmmikkel." I quietly watched as Dag Martin raised pot after pot and made it very hard for anybody to breathe at the table.

I was, of course, not going to let him maintain that pace without at least trying to make him go away - which was going to be easier said than done. After I got to the featured table, I had managed to play only one hand against former World Champ Scotty Ngyuen, which ended in a split pot. So, I had displayed a very conservative approach at my new table, having played only one out of 23 hands, and I foolishly thought that I had earned a little credibility. Now it was time to put an end to Dag's reign of terror. It all seemed to match perfectly when Dag Martin, as expected, raised from two off the button to 60,000 (three times the big blind) and I looked down at the A Q. It was a nice hand to reraise with, and all in all a beautifully well-written script, in which I would pick up more than 100,000 and send a message to Norway. I made it 220,000 to go, which should be just enough to let even the most stubborn-headed Homo sapiens know that I meant business. It all made perfect sense; I guess I just forgot that nothing makes sense to a maniac. Dag was on a rampage, and he was not going to let some "presumably over-the-hill has-been Gus Hansen" interfere with his master plan. He quickly added another 350,000 to the equation, making it 570,000 total, and now, suddenly, I was on the run. Was he roping me in with a smallish reraise? Did he really have it this time? Was this going to be exit WSOP 2007 on a stupid mismatch? Basically, they were all the questions you don't wanna ask yourself when facing a tough decision at a no-limit hold'em table - at least not to an extent where it is obvious to yourself that doubt and fear have crept into your mind. I was disgusted and dejected, and just wanted to get out of there with most of my chips intact and wait for a better day tomorrow. Needless to say, I folded.

Dag Martin later told me that he had two live cards against my A-Q - probably something like the 9 7. I am pretty sure the hand has been shown on TV; I just haven't seen it, so I haven't verified it myself.

Maniac Recap
Two obvious questions come to mind: Where did I go wrong, and what is there to learn from this little preflop raising war?

1. My mistake was that I didn't process all of the available information I had at my disposal. I was focusing only on the fact that I wanted to reraise, and that I indeed had a reraising hand. I didn't make any adjustments for the stack sizes or the mindset of my Scandinavian "rock-star" opponent. Being able to keep your cool and not get too frustrated when somebody picks on you will in the long run yield much better decisions, which inevitably will lead to better results. I could have called, taken a cheap flop, and then gone deep if I connected. Or, I could have played as I did, with the exception of changing my fold to an all-in move. Instead, I chose the stupid in-between route that left me with nothing but a wounded ego and a smaller chip stack.

2. Even though I was one of the few who could put a serious dent in Dag Martin's humongous stack, it didn't affect him the slightest bit. He was on a mission, and you had to show him the best hand at the river to beat him. Or, to put it another way - he just didn't give a damn. So, watch out for the next time you encounter a true maniac. And believe me, you will, as their numbers are growing, as is their success. Promise me not to do as I did, and go halfway. Against Dag Martin and his "lunatic" colleagues, it's either all or nothing!

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