Every Hand Revealed

• #2 in Best Poker Books
• #3 in Best Gambling Books

30 Reviews

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I've read at least 20 books on poker. David Sklansky's books give you vital, fundamental poker basics and even advanced theory -- but they aren't a lot of fun to read and make poker seem less than fun to play. Dan Harrington's books are better than Sklansky's because they are more informative, conversational, and easier to read. But make no mistake, Harrington's books are work. Gus Hansen's book was almost as informative, giving the reader an amazing insight into the thinking of a poker genuis as he makes his way, hand by hand, to heads up play. Like a great teacher, Hansen makes poker fun. He puts the reader in his head as he debates his next move. It's so witty, sometimes deadpan, and funny I couldn't put it down. At times, he goes into great detail regarding his mathematical analysis of his card strength and the pot odds and eventually the "correct" decision; then, he slyly concedes that he did just the opposite and can give no rational explanation for his action. Sometimes he says that simple curiosity got the best of him. When he misplays a hand, he's comically honest, "I played this hand like a novice, a fish, an idiot!"

I wanted to be more than entertained, I wanted to learn how a top poker pro analyzes his way through a tournament. Watching WPT six person final tables, while good, reveal very little about the players bobbed and weaved their way to the final table. Worse, WPT airs only the most entertaining hands, leaving on the cutting floor most of the final table action. With Every Hand Revealed, you get to see how play developed over the course of days, rather than minutes. Not only do you get the insights into Hansen's thinking, but you get to see what counter strategies his opponents adopt. Hansen provides a real education into applying pot odds to a variety of hands (329 hands to be exact), singular insight into winning strategy (I know of not one player that plays quite like Hansen), and how to interpret, and take advantage of, your opponents' playing style. Given the many terrible poker books released recently (like Daniel Negreanu's "Hold'em Wisdom for All Players" and anything by Phil Helmuth), I was skeptical that this book would be worth my time or money. I cannot recommend it more highly!

I have to agree with others here. This one of the best poker books to come along in a long time.

While pros making videos of their poker tournament victories are common online, this is the first time a serious player has explained an entire tournament in print -- a live brick-and-mortar tournament!

The narrative is detailed and honest; it shows that even Hansen nods with some way-off decisions. This frankness only increases the usefulness of the book as other pro poker players tend to gloss over their trouble hands in their writing. Simply put, they often display the Phil Hellmuth attitude: "I'm great and when I needed to, I sucked out." You just know players like Mr. Hellmuth are getting uncanny reads on opponents' hands, but they don't explain the thought process.

Then too, sometimes Mr. Hansen makes the right decision, but the cards don't cooperate. It's enlightening to see him handle this and go on to win without getting tilted off his game. (Is it just me or why is it that best online players are unflappable? There's a Chuck Yeager quality to their voices.)

The book is easy to follow without making you slog through complex math, yet this player is always aware of the numbers involved in crucial decisions.

I hope Mr Hansen and other world-class players do more of this "poker tournament diary" writing, IF they dare. Hansen says he's not worried that other players will now read him like a book, because he claims he can change gears at will. I hope he didn't give away the store with this groundbreaking poker book.

I already have a good collection of the major books. I saw this one and paged through it for a few minutes thinking I would put it down and walk away. I couldn't put it down.

Now I will put a caveat on this book. It is almost every hand Gus played in this tournament. I really like the writing style of this book.. He goes through each hand and gives you his thoughts, analysis; the why's behind his plays etc. If you are looking for a chapter, "how to" book, this may not suit you. If you have read a few of the books out there you will probably enjoy it as much as I am.

Gus describes what he knows about the others at the table, if he knows them, and if he doesn't. Then he goes on to explain the reasoning behind his plays and admits when he made a bad play, or when he made the right move and the cards fell against him. Also when he has the nuts and is trying to make the most of it,

I can't wait to pick it back up again after work and keep reading. I am highlighting some of his thoughts and plays. I have learned a lot from this book already and can't wait to use it.

I agree wholly with every 5 star review. So why did I give the book 4 stars?

I noticed a strange thing. After reading the book for a while and then going online right away to play some, I would lose and lose badly. This happened several times, so much so that while I was sorry to get to the end of the book, I was glad too so I could stop losing money. All in all, this book has cost me several hundred dollars.

Several hundred dollars, I figure, equals one review star.

Don't be a donkey like me. Don't think you can read some of Hansen and take it to the tables with instant results. Stick with your own game, very slowly insert a little Hansen and proceed carefully. No need to thank me for saving you a bundle! :-}

PS -- Gratuitous tip (i.e. take it for what it's worth): This book has no index. Imagine how useful an index might be if you have 300+ hands thrown at you randomly. Solution: take less than 2 hours and categorize the hands. I was interested particularly in gathering all the same kind of opening hands together, since which hands to play are a big deal with Mr. Hansen. I created eight categories, and now I can easily look up the same kinds of starting hands in each category. For example, I can quickly find and compare all the hands which started with small suited connectors. I'm sure you get the point. It really is useful, but it's up to you.

You'll learn from this one. Reading it is as close as we'll ever get to actually tapping into one of the great minds of the game. As Gus himself says in the final sentence of the Preface: "Welcome to my mind ...."

If you watched the 2007 Aussie Millions Tournament on TV you may remember that Gus Hanson stepped away from the table after practically every hand to speak into a digital recorder. Now we know what he was doing - he was recording his thought process for each hand. His thoughts have since been transcribed and this book is the result.

When I saw what Gus was doing I felt vindicated. I began playing online tournaments a few months ago and quickly found that one of the most valuable things I could do was to think carefully through each situation and to record my thoughts. After the tournament was over I'd review my actions in light of my recorded thoughts. It has proved to be an invaluable tool in improving my game. Now we have the benefit of Gus Hanson's thoughts along with the outcome of each hand.

In the non-stop Internet Age where the objective sometimes seems to be maximizing the number of hands played we've seen poker become somewhat of a lottery. However, it is thought and analysis - deep analysis - that leads to insight and expertise. And playing hands at breakneck speed is the very antithesis of thought and analysis. Gus has done us all a huge favor by sharing his hand-by-hand analysis of the 2007 Aussie Millions Tournament. This book reveals the thought processes of one of todays outstanding poker professionals and careful, thoughtful reading of this transcript can only improve your game.

Gus Hansen is a great player, but this book did very little for my game. His analysis deals primarily with pot odds, not really the most advanced topic. For detailed hand analysis I much prefer: Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook (Harrington on Hold'em). Hansen writes like a high school girl with more emoticons and exclamation points than I could stomach. While he points out correctly that the field of the Aussie Millions played too tight given the presence of antes sweetening the blinds, my experience online is that people tend to hit the "bet pot" button and so come in for more than three times the big blind when raising in tournaments with antes. Three handed and heads up were definitely the strongest parts of the book. I wish he had added an epilogue based on his viewing of the TV coverage

Once in a while a book comes on a subject which revolutionizes all previous thinking. This is one of those books. It's not a book for beginners. It is for those who want to take their game to a different level. If you really want to be at the top level in any game, probably the best way is to get into the mind of the real experts and understand why they do what they do. This book reveals what went into Gus' mind when he did what he did during the Aussie Millions and the thinking that went into doing what he did. It's magnanimous of Gus to share all these strategies....yes, everything....but then like he rightly says, " The most important skill of a succcessful poker player is to change gears and thereby always keep the opponents guessing!"

Buy this book. I assure you, you won't be able to put it down once you start it. I DIDN'T!!

When I got back into poker Hansen was the player that fascinated me the most from the TV pros because nothing he did seemed to make any sense. But it had to make sense because it obviously worked. To finally get a chance to get inside his head, hand by hand, is fascinating.

I couldn't recommend this book high enough. The most critical hands in poker are often the dullest. The hard slog. The patient grinding of people's souls. You miss that on TV. It creates a fun house mirror image of the players. No one more so that Gus Hansen. This book removes that. He explains his actions behind every hand he plays. If I have any criticism, it is that he doesn't show the hands he folds. I'd like to have heard him talk about that too.

As crazy as his style seems, it is still rooted in the fundamentals: good reads, solid math, brutal self awareness, and a good understanding of tournament psychology.

If nothing else, the book is a great lesson on the power of the all-in move in No Limit Holdem'. Gus's style in this tournament is that of a cave man. He rarely gets fancy, choosing to instead use his stack as a misshapen club to bonk people over the head with. Mongo, kill!

The book is a powerful testament to the loose-aggressive style of poker.

I consider myself an educated poker player and this book was just what I needed. It didn't go into the how's and why's, but showed them in action through the eyes of a maniac aggressive poker player.

I am tight aggressive and Gus Hansen's style is what I fear most in an opponent. This book taught me a great deal about the thinking that is incorporated in his style and has helped me to begin developing a style to combat it. It isn't easy, but it helps.

I would have given the book 5 stars, but it left out some important info. It would have been valuable to know how many hands he threw away between the ones he played. It would also have been nice to know why he threw each hand away since he plays any two cards. There were a couple of other things that I would have liked to see that were not there, but it doesn't keep me from calling this book a 'must read'.

Whether you want to play like him or against him, buy the book.

Everybody who rates this book highly is right. It's one of the better poker books around, especially at this price. Like they all say, it's excellent because Gus Hansen recorded his fresh thoughts into a voice recorder during a tournament (which he won!) and later compiled those thoughts (very honest and not self-serving) into this book.

But it's a great book for another reason: if you've seen Hansen play on TV (and I have, a lot), it might seem that he's a little nuts at times. He often has played very aggressively, even recklessly, but other times he'll seemingly be the tightest player at the table. I always wondered why this was. Well, apparently it's all part of a well-constructed master plan. He's not making it up as he goes. He has perhaps thought deeper in certain areas than some of his peers or at least come to contrarian conclusions. Most amazingly, he explains much of this deeper planning and thinking in the book. It's not just 300+ hands explained individually; there's a good dose of deeply-considered strategy, too.

Another of the book's strengths: the degree of math is just right -- not an inhumanly large amount like some books, but not zero, either.

The only negatives are very minor: the paper used is thin and rough (highlighting shows through the page), but that's why it's so affordable; and Gus's prose is a little awkward at times, but English is his second language and he more than makes up for any awkwardness with the cheery, honest attitude that shines through the writing.

Add another positive review to the pile! 4.5 stars out of 5 (5 out of 5 when the book's low price is taken into consideration).

This book is tha shiz nit!!! Gus Hansen isn't only a great gambler but is also a great writer. This book puts you literally into the mind of The Great Dane as he gives you his insight to the complex game that is POKER! He gives you the good, the bad, the ugly, the suckouts, & the advanced thought that it takes to win a Major Tournament as he did at the Aussie Millions!!!

Great read Mr. Gus Hansen and thanks for the introspective madness that you unleash in your book!

-Full "gott" Tilt

If you are already a competent tournament player, particularly if you cut your teeth on Harrington style play, this book is an eye opener. Gus Hansen reveals how he gets away with that loose hyper aggressive strategy that seems so intuitively foreign to so many of us.

It is not an entry level text. The author applies a wide range of tools such as pot and implied odds, positional considerations and "M" while never exhaustively explaining these concepts. This technique opens the text up to rapidly explain very complex decisions in just a few words, but limits the accessibility of message to a more select knowledgeable field. It is a trade off that will be appreciated by those that can follow it, but may make it appear woefully simplistic to many more novice fans of the Great Dane.

There are some great insights, and some entertaining stories, but I couldn't shake the feeling that all the way through I was listening to an extended "bad beat" story just waiting to happen. This more than the lack of detailed explanation of fundamental concepts is the reason for the 4 of 5 rating. I don't expect I will make any major changes in my tournament play as a result of reading Gus' book, but I certainly did find plenty of little adjustments that I'll be able to make my own, and I'm confident that they will return the investment many times over. If you are a serious player, you should read this book, if for no other reason than to know how he does it.

Wow, I sure wouldn't want to be at a poker table with this guy. It seems there's no way of putting him on a hand. But it's great to get an idea of how he analyzes hands. Caution: Don't try this at low limits. Like most poker authors, Gus shows you how to tackle good players, and allows you to adapt the methods yourself for low limit play.
I really like the structure of the book too: it doesn't seem to be over-edited and polished. There are a few grammatical errors and typos, but they add to the charm of the book. This guy is a professional poker player, after all, not a Rhodes Scholar. (I assume that this book had an editor, although one is not listed anywhere inside. If so, he or she dropped the ball). It's OK though. In fact, this book reminds me of the first Super/System book by Doyle Brunson, flaws and all. "Every Hand Revealed" has to be the best tournament Hold'em book you can buy, for the money.

I waited an awful long time for my Harrington on Cash books, and am totally happy with them. That being said, I put down Harrington as soon as I got Every Hand Revealed and didn't pick them up again until I read it cover to cover.

Less of a strategy book and more of a diary of his 2007 Aussie Millions win, Gus goes into his thoughts during each hand he played from day one to the final hand. Each day is given it's own chapter with an intro from Gus about how he had planned to play each day.

This book may not be a great tutorial for the average player, but there are still some things to be learned. Overall, a great book I would recommend to anyone that enjoys playing or watching tournament poker.

The best poker book I have ever read. Gus Hansen walks you through his thought process on every hand he played on his way to winning the aussie millions tournament. I could not put the book down once I picked it up. Gus almost never bluffs, but he plays aggressively always. He shows the math behind his decision making, and writes in a style that isn't boring for a second. I can't recommend this one enough!

I just got back from an AC trip w/ my buddies over the long weekend. I played 3 tournaments and won 2 of them for a profit of almost $7,000/-
While trying to figure out which poker book to attribute my sucess to from the few I have been reading over the last few months, two books come to mind - 1. Harrington on Hold em Excercise book - shows you lots of examples and what decisions to make on every street. His analysis of gets you thinking about the optimal play. But perhaps even more influential was 2. Gus Hansen's Every Hand Revealed....When I first put this down, I went WOW! Is there really so much stealing going on in tournaments. But really it is not stealing as much as the right play in certain situations given your position, etc. I became so much more aware of how my chip stack compared w/ the table, with the current and future blind levels, etc. Gus takes it one day at a time in sections, and within each day, he takes it one level at a time. You really need a good strategy for tournaments....I was thinking about so much more over breaks than using the restrooms, or getting something to eat or drink...I was planning on how I want to play till the next break, how I would play each level. How many rounds of antes, and blinds did I have, what about everybody else? How agrresively should I play - in one tournament I was the chip leader in the late levels. In the second I was the short stack at the final table, hung around till there were 4 players and came back to win it. I think this book probably helped me the most. Gus is fantastic!!!!I wish he would right a book on cash games. I really need his help there.

I've read more than 10 poker books written by world class pros n this is like the 12th or sth. It does cover each hand GUs played in the Aussie million, but then in terms of hand analysis is definitely not in-depth enough if you already have a solid backgroud about the game and are trying to refine that to the next level. His thought process is too simple, and explanation are not as in-depth as you might expect to get from a world-class player like him. i'm sure he thinks much more deeper than how he explained inside the book but then, just similar to his DVD, it's just too superficial, and i see no reason y he will even include simple stuff like preflop button steal with K7o against bunch of rocks, which is only like 3 lines of words in content.

If you really wana know how a pro thinks during a critical hand or some tough decision, i'll recommand Dan Harrington's no limit hold'em tournament series, all 3 volumes, even that they're like my 8th poker book set. Dan's book include more in-depth and comprehensive thought process in gaining information, utilizing table image, handling scare cards, playing maniacs, and sometimes playing marginal hands in tough early position. Also, Barry Greenstein's Ace on the River will b a great choice too (although the hand analysis section is super short, every hands are definitely worth looking) but then sorry, not in Gus's book.

Very easy to read. Got through the book in a few days and read it again to make sure I did not miss anything. Very entertaining.

According to all the books, Gus is wrong in how he plays: it's that simple. But there are two problems I see that give credence to his approach: one, he wins big tournaments, and two, if you follow the books you only win once in a while. So, there must be something to his madness.

The approach Gus uses takes into account the new aggressiveness needed to win today. I especially appreciate the mathematical analysis Gus shares with us, as well as his reads on players and situations and the affects his reads have on his decision-making process. If you are tired of making it half way through most of the time, perhaps it's time to take a new look at your approach. That's what I'm doing and it is helping me get further in tournaments.

This is the first time I've been able to understand how you play at at full table in the early stages of a tournament and how that play changes as the table becomes short (fewer players, e.g., 6-handed or 5-handed) and how your strategy changes as you progress through the tournament. Most of what you see on TV is short-handed play at the final table, with little resemblance to the real play when you are at a full table and in the early goings.

Thank you very much Gus for sharing this experience with us and for being so honest and open with your analysis. As far as I'm concerned, you're the BEST (sorry Phil).

Finally Gus, finally. I have been dying to know what is going on inside that shaved head of yours.

This book has such a unique format and is miles ahead of any other poker book on the market. What other book on the market will offer you 329 real and connected hand examples? Forget all the theoretical mumbo-jumbo - this is the real deal.

What I found most excilarating is that you actually get a glimpse of what it really takes to win a big field, high buy-in tournament. It is not just a couple of double-ups here and there, or Gus getting lucky every other hand. It is a long journey with ups and downs and huge mental pressure.

Gus - looking forward to your next book!

Well... I can't say much that haven't been said before... it's a great book

I'm always looking for a practical approach to everything... but then ... there is a problem with poker... it's not practical... it's a "game of situations" u just can learn by experience...

This book is not really a practical guide to win at hold'em, it's not the magic formula to win all the time.. it's just gus hansen giving you his experiences at the table.... which is closer to what a poker player really needs.

Reading this book is also like reading an adventure book, watching our hero going thru a bunch of situations winning and losing some batles... losing is part of the game too

so... it's entertaining.. involves math... involves psychology... involves mistakes... everything that a good poker has

Great read no matter if you don't plan to be as loose aggressive as Gus is

Certainly it's not a book i would recommend to my opponents

Every Hand Revealed is a excellent example of teaching at its best. You are not just given well I did this and he did that. You have laid out before you the strategies and thoughts of one of the greatest poker mind of the 20th century. Some may dispute that last fact. But if you look at Gus Hansens body of work and the changes he has made to his game you will realize the reason he is one of the greats. It is because he has been able to adapt to the changes in the poker scene. Not only adapt but flourish, while others are just getting by. I have read this book once already and am now going back through it and studying each and every move and the reasons behind them. You need this book if you plan on being a winner in the game of Poker.

Excellent Book - reminds me a lot of chess books that illustrate strong play through game reviews instead of preaching straight concepts like most poker books.

Agree w/ other reviewers here. This is an engaging & informative diary of the author's winning tourney run. I read it cover-to-cover almost immediately, then turned around and re-read it again!

Has it helped my game?

Yes, but I would stress that it is not an instructional book and is not really designed to be. After reading it, I did add a jolt of "controlled aggression" and "direction-changing" to my play, and it has worked well (mostly). In that sense, the book has "paid for itself", but it really is mostly just very entertaining to understand how this guy analyzes his situations and plays accordingly.

I have read the first 100 pages or so of this book and I have to say that this book is a must read for any serious Hold'em tournament player. It is not a "step-by-step" book on tournament hold'em - for that Harrington's (Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play) and Phil Gordon's (Phil Gordon's Poker Box Set: Phil Gordon's Little Black Book, Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book) are arguably the best. However, it is a great book to understand Gus's thought process. Even if you are incapable or unwilling to apply Gus's style, you will benefit immensely by reading how a successful loose-aggressive player thinks and plays.

I have read many poker books but this is a very particular one. Don't expect huge analysis but a honest review of all the hands of a tournament, the bad ones too. At the end the impression is that Gus wins by stealing many blinds and folding the right times (two times he folds AK preflop). Anyway a book to be read. Nice book Gus!

Gus has flopped quads with this one. After reading all the "how-to" books I could get my hands on I finally found a book that puts it all together. What a novel and fresh approach to tournament poker. In "Every Hand Revealed" I was able to better understand the concepts that so many authors have tried to teach me. To watch Gus play each hand, to see him push the winners, fold the losers, and not quit when the right play failed has really made me re-look my game. I do believe that had I read this book one month ago I would have finished higher that the top 15% of the Senior's tournament at the WSOP.

In this book Gus basically talks about all the hands he played when he won the Aussie Millions. Gus tells us whats going through his mind during each hand and on every street upto the river. It's quite interesting to see how he thinks during a hand.

This is a great book. I learned alot from the three Harrington on Hold 'em tournament books, and I play ok, but I think this book suggests the next level of play. Hansen offers you information on making objective decisions with hands that I have always been confused on how to play, and he does it with math. Hansen also shows how he deals with the subjective perceptions of his oppents, and gives his opinion on hands where he considers losing the pot would not just cost him chips but also his momentum and his position as "table captain." Something I was considering while reading this book was how tough it would be to play against Hansen. Worth the money for sure.

I can't praise this book highly enough. It is a spectacular description of Hansen's playing style and a great descripton of tournament strategy and and the mathematics involved in poker. The depth of the descriptions isn't overly detailed, and the analysis isn't comprehensive. I'd say it's just about perfect for someone who has watched some poker on TV, played a little, and has a grasp of the basic vocabulary.

Even so, if you're already an expert you may like this as an interesting window into the mind of what is unarguably one of the most well known poker players alive today. If you know a little and are just above a rank beginner like me, you'll be fascinated to watch someone apply poker concepts in an easy to understand conversational style. Hansen really reviews why he does what he does, and even berates himself occasionally when he thinks he screws up.

Will this book revolutionize poker? No, but it is "I can't put it down" material if you're a poker nut like me.

It would make a great counterpart to reading
1) Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
-- and either --
2) Caro's Book of Poker Tells or Phil Hellmuth Presents Read 'Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent's Guide to Decoding Poker Tells.

A great book.