Getting to Vegas was never the problem. It’s staying that’s always proven challenging.
If you use common sense that is.
In 2007 the poker-playing Swedish artist Dilba Demirbag was headed to the USA and was asked the purpose of her trip. She joked, “What do you think? I’m going to blow up airplanes.”
It didn’t end well.
Normally if you declare all your money and keep your mouth shut there will not be a problem.
The problem is that you can only stay in Vegas for three months at a time. Those months fly by really fast when you play poker all night and sleep all day.
The popular choice to solve the problem seems to be marrying a stripper. I guess it makes sense but if you cannot find a stripper to fall in love with or your bankroll is not big enough, then you have a problem.
Back in the days there was not many options for someone who wanted to grind a lot. A lot of Europeans ended up in Vegas, by both default and choice.
Some of the successful ones travelled there, did three months, took a car down to Tijuana and back, and then spent another three months in Vegas before going back to the Old World.
Gus Hansen and Jan Sörensen Figure Out a Way to Stay
That brings us to two Danes: Gustav Jacobsen and Jan Hansen.
They where to my knowledge the only two real grinders from Europe at Mirage back when its poker room constituted all of the meaningful action in Vegas, prior to Bellagio opening.
But when you spend over six months a year in the USA for a couple of years you will eventually have trouble entering the land of the free.
The two winning Danes solved the problem by switching names. I thought they swapped names with each other but that was only half true.
Jan Hansen took his mothers maiden name Sörensen. Why Gustav Jacobsen picked his new name I don’t know. Perhaps he thought “Gus Hansen” sounded cool? That has never been a problem for the Great Dane.
Gustav Jacobsen Becomes Gus Hansen
Gustav Jacobsen was a prodigy in Backgammon and by all accounts is still one of the best players in the world.
But the felt was greener on the poker side and you probably know about his live tournament success with over $10 million in winnings and his online failure with over $20 million in losses.
Jan Sorensen is not as famous as Gus Hansen but is considered a world-class poker player as well. He owns two WSOP bracelets even though he mostly plays cash games.
Sorensen was a football player in Denmark on an elite level until an injury ended his career when he was thirty.
Stud is his game and Sorensen is considered as one of the best in the world. He grinded and grinded and grinded at 40-80 Limit Stud at the Mirage. He was always there when I was.
One early morning he ventured by the poker room after a long night out. The $150/$300 looked good so he decided to sit down in the game he never would have considered sober – or even half drunk.
Many hours later he cashed out a $60,000 winner and a new high stakes player was born.
Christer Björin Switches to Chris
A real man should always have more names than one. Chris Bjorin’s real name is Christer Björin but that is too hard for Americans to pronounce, hence the “Chris”.
He is the person I know that has most nicknames. I know four, but since he doesn’t like any of them – three of them are praises and that doesn’t sit well with the modest man – I will not tell. He has bought my silence royally by picking up all those checks.
Chris was more or less a fixture at the poker room in Bellagio the first few years. So was Jan. They where both enjoying the good life at the high limit section.
I’ve had quite a few drinks with Jan Sorensen over the years. He is a nice and funny guy.
One Session Against an Unhappy Gus Hansen
I’ve only stumbled across Gus Hansen once, which is very strange since we have many common friends. They say he is a nice and funny guy, but perhaps a little odd. Who isn’t? That is a plus in my book.
But I came across him at Mirage when he still was Gustav Jacobsen. He was probably already Gus to his American friends and he played the highest games there. He grinded a lot of $30/$60 too but I never played against him for some reason.
I played $30/$60, which was the highest game outside the top shelf where they played $80/$160 up to $150/$300 and once in a greedy moon $300/$600.
The step from $30/$60 to$80/$160 was huge both monetary and skill level wise. I wanted to test my skills but the step was just too big.
One day they spread the odd limit $60/$120. The game was good and I took a shot. It was semi-shorthanded and I got involved in a lot of pots against the Great Dane.
During the whole session he had this expression like he was in utter pain because he had to play with us.
Afterwards I introduced myself and told him that I was from his neighboring country Sweden. Back then there were not many players under 30 and it was custom to talk to each other and too become friends.
Gus Jacobsen look at me like something dead that the cat had dragged in and placed on the kitchen floor. I wasn’t even worth a word back.
I suspect that he had a bad day, a miserably week and a horrible month.
I still think he is a nice, funny guy.
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