Every Hand Revealed

• #6 in Best Poker Books
• #7 in Best Gambling Books

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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.

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).

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.

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.

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

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 takes us to a journey through his astonishing way of play, that most Hold'em players might find not only aggressive, but even in some cases absurd.

I enjoyed reading this book. However, this is definitely not a comprehensive poker strategy book. It's merely a review of every hand of the Aussie Millions Poker Tournament 2007 Gus took part in and how it was played, with some notes by Gus on why he decided to play it like that. He takes stack size, possible chip lead, his reads, bet sizes and much more into consideration before making a play, and the way he thinks and bets is presented briefly for every hand.
After each chapter Gus does actually propose a way of play for various stages of a tournament, but if you seek in depth analysis of such matters, you should probably read another book.

I do not regret the purchase of this book, because it provided some insights on the game of an acclaimed poker pro and could prove to be helpful in terms of enhancing my own play. Overall, it provides info on the (super)aggressive poker play and how Gus handles it. Judging by the first place and the money he won from this tournament, he does have his way.

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.

Here's the sequence of the books I've read about NLHE Tournaments:

Step 1: T.J. Cloutier/McEvoy - Survive, survive, survive... Maybe you get a lot of chips somewhere and win a tournament.

Step 2: Dan Harrington - Survive, but if all conditions are right, play a hand like J-T suited or 9-8 suited if you have three callers, tight players in the blinds, and then proceed from there.

Step 3: Gus Hansen - Survival sucks. Accumulate chips. Get the blinds. Know BEP. GO FOR IT.

For years I was in Step 1 mode: Play your coin flips with 99 vs. AK and pray they hold up. Double up a few times, don't play the "chip burners" like J-T suited or K-Q suited. Waaaaaaaaay too tight to consistently win let alone confuse my opponents with my play.

Now, Step 2 was nice, but how often do you really get 3 or 4 callers in front of you AND tight players in the blinds? Basically, you're always in Step 1/Survivor mode unless all the stars and planets align at the poker table and we know that doesn't happen very often.

Step 3. Go for it. Raise with a K-T suited in middle position 3 x the BB and see what happens. If you get raised and can make the call and get a great flop then go for it.

Yeah, it sounds crazy to "go for it" but you know what I've discovered?

Sitting around getting blinded to death watching people get chips and win millions of dollars while I hope my caveman coin-flip strategy holds up doesn't work. You have to get in there with a Q-J suited in late position for some of your chips. You don't get the AA or KK often enough, and if you do get those hands do you really accumulate enough chips to win the tournament? No.

I liked Gus Hansen's book. I think people TALK about shifting gears, but don't do it enough. I know I don't. But I've gone further in tournaments and actually been the chip leader or in the top 10 more often during the tournament since I read this book and used his advice.

You can still incorporate the wisdom from Step 1 and Step 2. Just make sure that you have Step 3 in the tool box or you're never going to win unless EVERYTHING goes your way in a tournament. It can happen, but don't hold your breath. Get this book if you want to win NLHE tournaments.

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.

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.

Gus Hansen, Every Hand Revealed (Lyle Stuart, 2008)

It should be noted first and foremost that the premise behind this book makes it pretty certain that this is about as vertical-market a poker book as you're going to find. Casual fans probably won't cotton to the idea of reading Gus Hansen discussing the almost three hundred hands he played at the 2007 Aussie Millions. If you're a serious student of the game, however, and you've always wondered at the method behind the seeming madness of a "maniac" player like Hansen, then this is definitely the book for you. Hansen lays out each hand, shows you the reasons he made each of his plays, talks pot odds (and shows why the person at the table calling you a donkey for making that call is more likely a donkey himself), and isn't afraid to tell you when he messed up. And yes, contrary to the beliefs of some folks (but right in line with the beliefs of many others), Gus Hansen does, in fact, make the occasional mistake. Sometimes they cost him almost a million chips. And yet he still ends up with all the chips in the end. Variance, as they say, is a harsh mistress. (Actually, "they" usually use language a lot cruder to describe variance. So do I, when I'm not writing Amazon reviews.)

The book's biggest failings aren't necessarily Hansen's fault; a good editor could have whipped this manuscript into shape with little effort. Toning down Hansen's excessive use of exclamation points and doing a quick run-through for egregious spelling and grammatical errors would have done this manuscript a world of good, and a real combing-through might well have come up with something approaching the perfect poker book. But what we got is fine indeed, and well worth your time. ****

Gus Hansen achieved fame early on in the World Poker Tour from his seemingly reckless and erratic style of play. As seen on TV, Hansen would play any two cards in position and apply maximum aggression with absolutely no hand and no draw. And somehow this strategy seemed to work: he'd frequently get his opponents to lay down hands as strong as top pair to his well-timed moves of aggression.

But "Every Hand Revealed" lives up to its name: Gus Hansen's secret is revealed. As many poker authors have cautioned their readers, the hands actually *shown* on television are entirely atypical. The producers edited out all the mundane hands where nothing much happened and no one attempted any wild bluffs. Also, they edited out the entire first part of the tournament, where 95% of the players were slowly eliminated. By focusing on high-blind, final table action (and only the most unusual and exciting hands), we all got a distorted view of Gus Hansen's game.

Here, Gus Hansen walks his readers through every hand he played in a successful big money hold em tournament. It's fairly clear that Gus, unlike many poker professionals, actually wrote this book himself (or had it transcribed from his voice recordings taken at the table). We truly get a look inside the reasoning process of a top poker professional. Gus Hansen is still a somewhat loose player, and very aggressive, but now we see the method behind his madness. More importantly, we see how he can make tough folds when he's in trouble.

The only unfortunate aspect of this book is its extremely poor (or non-existent) editing. I can't blame Gus for a lack of fluency in English, his second language. I can blame the editors at Citadel for not doing a professional job in clarifying his use of words. Of course, perhaps the low, low cover price reflects the lack of editing. Either way, it's bad enough to slightly mar an otherwise excellent book.

If you like this style of learning poker through detailed hand-by-hand analysis, I'd also recommend The Poker Tournament Formula and Poker Tips that Pay: Expert Strategy Guide for Winning No Limit Texas Hold em, both of which also walk the reader through the reasoning process in dozens of interesting poker hands.

Gus Hansen plays an entertaining style of poker that most would call "hyper-aggressive". He dictated contemporaneous notes regarding his play during the Aussie Millions Texas Hold `Em Tournament, which he won, and those notes provide the basis for this book. The book lets us inside his head as he considers each hand he played, making sense of otherwise confusing or contradictory decisions. Why fold an Ace-nine on one hand but re-raise with a 10-2 off-suit on the next? A reader sees that position play, perceived "tightness" or "weakness" by opponents, table image, and at times even excessive curiosity explain much of Hansen's play. There are also extended discussions of post-flop play on some critical hands, where a reader gets a detailed look at how a world-class player analyses a hand. Hansen dissects likely opponent holdings, prior opponent behavior, pot odds, and his own overall tournament strategy. It's both informative and entertainingly written. This approach to poker has been very effective for Hansen and some other hyper-aggressive players in the world of professional poker. It should be understood as much more of a window into the mind of a top player, and not a "how to" manual. If anything, it should probably have a label reminding readers "Warning, you are not Gus Hansen"

The book is not really billed as a "how to play hyper-aggressive poker". It may not be possible to really teach Hansen's style any more than you can teach a person how to run the 100 yard dash. There are techniques one can learn, but there is also some innate, unteachable genius that separates the world-class from rest. That said, it wasn't until reading the book that I realized that this is just a discussion of the hands Hansen played, 329 out of the 850 dealt. We get to see his reasoning for playing some of his medium-to-poor hands, but we don't get to see his reasoning on the times he mucked the exact same holdings. All we know is that some of the time, a pair of fives is worth a re-raise, other times, an instant fold. This omission of over half of his critical decisions diminished the information value of the book, although it probably did improve the readability.

If that objection seems minor, and you are otherwise a fan of the game, then you will probably enjoy the book overall (I did). If nothing else, it is fun to see a practitioner of a craft at the top of his game. And, my earlier warning label notwithstanding, maybe you will want to try this approach after all. It certainly makes for a lively game. To quote Hansen as he closes his book: "The game is called Poker, not `waiting for the nuts'. In order to accumulate chips and make something happen, you need to do exactly that: Play Poker!"

3.5 stars, rounded up 'cause it's a fun read.

If you've ever read the Harrington series, then read Every Hand Revealed, you will instantly realize the two contrasting styles. Harrington obvisously has the more conservative tight approach, while Hansen's only approach is to play as many pots as possible...no matter what he's holding. The man loves to bluff. Who else is brave enough to raise with 94o in mid position??

I give this book 5 stars, because it shows you what type of players you will envitably play against at the tables. K7o, Q8o, Hansen played them all. This book definitely gets you inside the head of a maniac player.

You should definitely pick this book up.It's an easy read, and quite enjoyable. Even though you know that Hansen wins it all, you still find yourself cheering for him to pick up a pot.

And the best part is that you're looking at actual hands. Not made up scenarios.

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.

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.

Here's the deal: too many "smart guy's/gal's" have written books on the "right way" to play tournament hold'em. I've read many of them, (Harrington obviously, the best poker book (EV-wise for me) all time) and I've got to say right off the bat that Gus iterates what I've been thinking all too long; namely that too many of the so called "smart people" rely on math/reads/theory that in the real world, (when it's your $300 to $10,000 buy-in), ring very...uh...how should I put this... hollow/way too drawn out? Books that are just not practical for at the table usage, but great for after-the-fact analysis. This book is practical in Gus's hand analysis and thought process, and I appreciate that he calls out when he's made an error in his analysis or his move. One of my favorite hands is (I think) midway through day 2- he lost a decent size pot by playing rather timid in position and lost a winnable pot, or at least put too much into an unwinnable pot, and then points out in detail the errors he made.
I'm extremely surprised no one has thought of this format before. To be honest, if you're even a light to moderate poker fan or player, this book reads like a thrilling novel. Hand after hand, you get to step inside the brain of how you SHOULD be thinking when it's YOUR chips.
For the player looking for an edge: Gus reiterates subtly why image and aggression have made him such a powerhouse at big buy-in tournaments.
I also appreciate some decent nerd humor when he's commenting on his own or his opponents play.
To enhance your reading experience: Youtube the '07 Aussie Millions to see what Gus is talking about.
Overall- I think this book is a bargain at its price, (considering so many less helpful and entertaining titles go for double the price) and I'd put it right up there with Harrington as far as thought process and situational analysis.

My pattern for learning and reading about poker goes something like this: read a book by Sklanksky, Harrington, Chen, et al...play, LOSE, keep playing, something eventually clicks...WIN. Immediately during and after reading Gus' book, something in my playing just clicked, and I started WINNING right away. The loose aggressive style is described theoretically in other books, but it's handled expertly in this one. If you learned the tight aggressive style from the conventional poker literature, read this and add another gear to your engine.

The innovative form, witty narration, and thoughtful hand analysis make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. It's packaged in soft paperback, at a bargain price. I couldn't put it down.

Every time I've watched Gus Hansen play in the World Poker Tour, I always wondered what permutations his mind was running through. I mean, how can this guy be so aggressive and so successful tournament after tournament? It boggles the mind that his trademark style wouldn't eventually expose him to massive busts as players just decide "what the hell", let's just call him out.

Now we finally find out what goes on in the brain of a champion. His aggressiveness is a coolly calculated approach determined carefully hand by hand throughout a tournament. He has almost a preternatural ability to sense the right play through a lens of mathematical objectivity while combining that with a carefully considered intuitive feeling for his opponent's play. For those of us who occasionally fantasize about playing at the professional level, seeing Hansen's play through his actual tournament decision making skill set is extremely humbling. This is written clearly and understandably, even if we couldn't possibly absorb his entire approach to play at his level. However,there is much useful learning here that can improve poker hand decision making skills for anyone who is serious about their play.

Definitely worth reading, particularly if you are interested in playing tournaments yourself.

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.

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.

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

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 don't mean that not everybody has the ability to play like Gus. (Though that might also be true.)

What I mean is that Gus's style depends on sitting at a table where there are very few other loose-aggressive personalities. If large numbers of people started playing like Gus, Gus would have to go toward the style advocated in Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play. It's not a style that can be emulated successfully by large numbers of people. Effectively, Gus is a parasite upon the tight-weak Hellmuth/Harrington types. If that's what you aspire to, go for it.

Many poker players stick to their hands far too long - which is why they must get used to playing only the top 10 or 15% of hole cards they are dealt. Gus Hansen shows how to play all the hands you want, using selective pressure and intuitive reads. What is actually on your the cards is only a backup - or the occasional big winner!

I've read a bunch of poker books and while this one is somewhat entertaining, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I tried to play like Gus explains in this book and got killed. Many times in a row, I got killed. Maybe I was just unlucky. Maybe I didn't get it. Maybe playing loose aggressive works better in live high stakes games. But if you play his way in low stakes online tournaments, I think you'll get creamed too.

I'd recommend books by Sklansky, Gordon, Harrington and Brunson over this book.

This is a great book if you are looking to know how an aggressive player, thinks and play. See how he calculates each hand. Are you looking to step up your game or ready for that little edge? This book is perfect for that...

This is my favorite poker book of the many I've read. Poker, especially tournament No Limit Hold'em, is not mechanical like Blackjack. You cannot simply memorize a list of hands to play. Every play is situational. There is an art to playing great tournament poker. Gus Hansen is a Da Vinci.

Gus Hansen amazingly took notes on every single hand he played when he won the Aussie Millions tournament. The useful thing about this book is not just the hand by hand analysis, but being able to see how Gus actually THINKS about poker. This is profoundly useful to the intermediate level tournament poker player.

Some of his play is not directly transferable to a "typical" tournament situation for two reasons: 1. Much of the play was 6-handed, which is not typical for most tournaments, and 2. Gus had a big stack for most of the tournament, which certainly affected the number of folds he got when he raised pre-flop and made continuation bets. Finally, there is the factor of his incredible reputation, which surely affected his poor opponents at the poker table.

I have read and re-read this book, and I hope you don't buy it, because it has helped me bring my poker game to a new level. After reading it for third time, my tournament poker game really started to "click," with noticeable results and high-level cashes.

I like Gus Hansen, and I liked this book. It is very informative to see how a true poker professional thinks, while playing hands in a tourmament, and through post-tournament musings on pot odds, strategy with blind/ante structures, and All-In plays.

One issue with the book is that if a few hands had not gone Hansen's way, the book obviously would never have been written. In other words, notwithstanding Hansen's superior play compared to the field, a lot had to go right for him to make this book possible. At the price, however, I'd say this is a must buy for any Texas Hold 'Em enthusiast.

Another issue for me is that, once Hansen worked his stack up and became one of the chip leaders, his play essentially becomes a clinic in big-stack bullying. Nothing wrong with that, but the lessons have limited utility for an amateur who more often than not finds himself or herself working hands in the middle of the pack in a poker tournament.

All in all a very entertaining book, and certainly worth the price of admission!

This book is great, a serious page-turner. I've read a number of poker books from the highly technical Sklansky to the fluffy books by Negreanu. Overall this book was my favorite. He doesn't explain the theory of poker, pot odds, percentages or any of that stuff. If you want a technical reference, look elsewhere. If you are looking to get into the mind of a pro, then read this book. Gus has some amazing strategy. You get to see every single hand he played, why he played it and how he won. The best part is that you get to see every read, every bluff (and there are many) and every mistake he made. In many ways this guy plays the players and not his cards. A very interesting perspective into poker. Just be careful. Right after I read this book I thought I could use his techniques and lost a bunch of money, lol. Well worth the price of admission. If you are into poker, buy this book.

Have you seen Gus Hansen playing poker on TV? If so, you've probably seen him stand up from the table and talk into a gizmo that is a tape recorder. I always assumed he did it to review the hands later. Well, maybe, but there was another reason. Hansen won the Aussie Millions in January, 2008. There were 746 runners, and it lasted five days. In his new book, Every Hand Revealed, he recounts all 329 hands he played. He doesn't pull any punches. By that I mean that occasionally he'd make a dumb play. but wasn't afraid to admit it in the book.

Each of days one through four is a separate chapter. He divided the fifth day into three chapters: one for the final table, one for when the play was three-handed and one chapter for when the play was heads-up. The book is not for the beginning poker player, but can be enjoyed by the advancing player on up to the poker expert.

Would you enter a pot from middle position with Q-7 offsuit? Would you enter with a raise three times the big blind? Hansen makes moves like this. He isn't afraid to put his chips out there, because he feels he can outplay the others after the flop. I've heard him say on TV that you can win with any two cards. Now there's something that can't be denied.

Even though I'm not comfortable playing like that, I see his reasoning. If you wait for the nuts, you will eventually bleed to death. Even if you wait and catch pocket aces, you may get no action or get them cracked. With the way Hansen plays, he wins so many small pots that he can afford an occasional suck-out by the villain. Also, because he plays so loose (as defined by others), when he catches a huge hand, he often gets action and wins big pots with those hands.

As I read the book, I noticed that Hansen made several good/winning bets based on his reads from the villain's demeanor. But, he is basically math oriented. Here's what he says:

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to diminish the conventional over-the-table reading ability. I actually believe it played a big part of my success Down Under. I am just stating the obvious: 'Reads are imperfect and numbers don't lie.'

So, go ahead and buy the book; it's entertaining as well as instructional. But be warned: For it to help your game, you're going to have to keep a very open mind!

A pretty boring book. I set it down a few weeks ago after reading half way through and haven't picked it up again. There is some very useful information in it if you can take the time and have the patience to assimilate it. I will finish it, but I have to wait for the right mindset. I like Gus Hansen and I would like to find out what it is that makes him so good.

My opinion of Gus Hansen's
Every Hand Revealed

First of all let me say it took me seven to eight hours to read that should tell you it is a page-turner, I liked it very much. What I would like to have read; is more of what Gus meant by terms like "it seem to me that " this and that what tells did he see what patterns were there for his feelings, what does he look at there eyes, there chip handling etc. There was one mention of how fast the chips went into the pot if he thought there was bluffing going on, from this book it seems that numbers is his main concern. May be he didn't want to tell the world about other players tells but this is a book after all for prosperity, and who knows it would help the other players to know they have those tells. Like in hand 306 the phrase sensing his opponent's feelings, what clues were given or was it just projecting, or wishful thinking on his part.
I would have liked to have had this book written just as it was but with the TV results given showing the actual results, and if his thinking was correct. If possible the tape or CD could have been sold along with the book, after reading this book I would be willing to pay a little more for the next one.
One more observation the picture holding the wining hand AA, made Gus look like Nusferatu not a good look.

I loved this book!!! If you've ever wanted to know how a top player REALLY thinks about the game, this is the book for you. Even though Gus Hansen doesn't say all that much about how you should play, just him letting you in to how he thinks is worth the price of the book and more.

I'll be honest, I don't really play that loose. But I still liked seeing how good Gus was at it. He is awesome!

There are a lot of poker books out there these days. But this one is really worth it. When I finished it, I felt like I had really learned something about how top players think when they're at the final table. Best of all, you get to see the entire road to it from beginning to end.

Hansen has told us every secret, every though-process, every musing that he experiences throughout a tournament, a tournament in which he won $1.5 million. I was amazed at how frank he was during EVERY SINGLE HAND. Yes, every hand he didn't fold, he analyzes. And its not just, bet, get check-raised, fold...kind of analysis. He explains, in minute detail, why he makes EVERY decision. What amazed me is the extraordinary amount of work it must have been to write out and record, every flop, every suit, every turn and river, every decision the other person makes, right down to the opponent squirming in their seat. It is obvious, this man has an incredible memory to provide such details. All this information simply could not be recorded or written in the time frame it takes to deal one hand to the next.

I used to think this man sold his soul to the devil when I saw him on the World Poker Tour. The enlightening thing is, he actually plays the quality hands for the huge pots, and simply limps or puts in a light raise, in position, with the rags you see him play on TV. Really gives you the confidence to pull the trigger yourself with such poor holding, given the detailed instruction.

The final point, and the best one, is that you actually feel like you are at the table in the seat next to him. The book works like a well-scripted movie, from opening scene of him receiving his chips to the final act of winning it all. The best thing is, it's not scripted one bit. The book is not dry in the least, and in many parts, quite humorous.

A ***** poker book. Thumbs way up!

I bought this book after reading the reviews on Amazon, and I have to say I was quite happy with the purchase. I actually couldn't put it down. Gus goes over all the hands he was part of, is self depricating, shows that he got lucky, but most importantly, goes over how he reads situations and bets out accordingly.

Like a lot of poker books, the lessons he teaches are not necessarily straight forward, but they are there, and they are plentiful.

I wish more players would do this kind of book.

Kudos Gus on a great book.

I was waiting for a book like this! Extremely entertaining and gives a lot of insight to Gus's mind. If you have the tourney recorded, you can actually see the hands, and look for tells that Gus is talking about. It really gives you an idea what a "maniac" is thinking about raising with T9o when "under the gun".

DO NOT TRY TO USE HIS STRATEGY AT HOME, unless you are above intermediate level poker player. Even if you think you understand why what he does at the table at home, you HAVE to be Gus Hansen to make it work. You are not. I hear people saying "a very aggressive player, like Gus Hansen, D.Negreanu, Micheal Mizrachi, etc". The truth is, you cannot put players in the same "aggressive" category. For example, D.Negreanu and G. Hansen are TOTALLY different players with different styles. Negreanu plays "small ball, check-call poker" preferring to make post flop decisions himself using his insane reading ability, while Gus likes to play bigger pots, and put his opponents to the test. Gus does not mind going all in when he thinks the situation is favorable, while Daniel hates to be all-in unless it is the best play. It is just not his style.

With that said, the most important thing why Gus's plays work is the table image (that he does not have to establish every time he comes to a new table, his image follows him everywhere). Thats his advantage, and thats why his plays work. Everyone knows that Gus Hansen is Gus "I-can-have-any-two-cards-in-any-position" Hansen. Thats why if you raised early position with two red aces, and Gus called you on the button, it is extremely difficult to proceed on the flop of 3-6-7 with two clubs on the board when Gus puts you to the test for all your chips. After all he is Gus, what makes you think he is not holding 4-5 in his hand, and you are drawing slim to dead.

Get this book! Read it! Enjoy it! Learn from it! DO NOT DO IT AT HOME!

Just finished the book and found it really good, not over done at all and not really a technical journal like some can and are meant to be. The book literally is every hand he played during the 2007 Aussie Millions Tourney with the reasons for why he played the hand or why he acted a certain way on the hand. If you have a good basic knowledge of tournament hold em and understand concepts of poker this book can give a great understanding of how guys like Hansen, Ivey, and Negranue, play and you see they are not so loose and crazy but actually are just aggressive toward the unaggressive. It's a dangerous way to play but if you can play after the flop it is a smart and profitable way to play. If you are just beginning in poker and are looking for a book to teach you THIS IS NOT FOR YOU!! This book can potentially ruin you because you will only learn to copy what he does without understanding why he does it, get a book like Harrington on Hold Em first at the very minimum, Hansen plays aggressive not stupid.
All in all a great read, not for everyone, but for those that understand the game a great insight into a very good poker players mind.

I learn a lot with this book. Is the first time that I have the real ideas behind the play of a superplayer. I wish this would be a video! Also the prize is right.

Getting some insight from one of the top names in professional poker is priceless. This is a one on one with Gus Hansen and his thought process as he progressed from day 1 to winning the Aussie Millions in 2007. The style of the book is easy to read, big fonts and every hand is illustrated, most of the show the flop, the turn and river. Off course there is substantial analysis before each card is shown and explanations of why actions were taking at each situation (check, raise, bluffs, and big laydowns). He has a lesson before starting each day of the tournament that relates to his mindset for a particular situation he'll face and then has conclusions and lessons learned at the end of the day.

The only thing you might argue is that it's too specific for the cards dealt and the situations faced each particular stage of the tournament and it might lack theoretical depth. However the book is what it is: one tournament, one player and how he won it!

I certainly picked tidbits of information that can be applied in any other poker hand and not the specific one described in the book. Plus Hansen has a few chapters analyzing the outcome, his decision making and the quality of hands played although they are thin by comparison to the rest of the book. All in all a pretty good book to get a feel for how big tournaments progress and how great players adapt to each situation.

After reading Gus Hansen's book "Every Hand Revealed" I found it to be an indepth look at the mind of a maniac. It really explains his logic for playing those "wtf hands?!" Why he would call using pot odds and probability. Aggressive play, yet avoiding the "all in" against opponents that could really rake him over the coals. The final table gets even more indepth, telling you why he played the way he did against Jimmy. It was a great read, and a different approach to TOURNAMENT poker. Please pass on this book if your looking for a cash game book.

In this book several times poker champion Gus Hansen lets us in on his thoughprocesses around every hand he plays in a major tournament. You will get a lot of "Aha!" experiences when he explains his, at times, seemingly irratic play. A very entertaining book that is not too heavy on the head.

Very good book. This is basically a recap of every hand Gus played on his way to winning the Aussie Millions main event.

Great look into the mind of a dangerous and tricky player...

Tons of hand analysis, obviously. Very interesting to see the good hands, the bad hands, the steals, the bluffs that worked, the bluffs that didn't... You can sense his mood swings up and down, sense the changes in momentum... a very engrossing and stimulating book.

Lots of good insights here.

This book is really for intermediate to advanced players... there's very little here for beginners, and it would probably be confusing to novices, as you'll never find another poker book on the planet advising to raise from first position with J-5 offsuit in first position!!! For advance players, though, I think you'll find the insights to be quite revealing and stimulating to your poker thought process...

This is a very refreshing and fun read. You do have to know the basics of no-limit Texas hold-em, and have some basic understanding of the theory behind the game, but you don't need to be an expert to enjoy this book and get something out of it. It is NOT a book on how to play. It is a deep examination of how Gus thinks about each and every hand at the table, including many that would be ignored as inconsequential by others, but always with a reason. For examply, he will include a hand where everyone folds to his big blind and gives him a walk. Not very interesting in itself, but it's included because in this case Gus is a stubborn blind defender, and an occasional walk is the benefit he reaps for his stubborn defense earlier in the game.

In analyzing every hand he plays (and he plays a lot of hands), he also lets you in on the key skills that are required to play loose-aggressive, namely putting people on hand ranges and playing accordingly and relentless pressure in the right spots, plus when to just let it go. I found his analysis insightful.

In addition, the book is just damn well written and fun to read. This is one of the books I carry around just to crack open occasionally to a random page. Gus can be quite funny, and this book is a great relief from the dryness that afflicts so much of poker literature.

In terms of what kind of poker book this is, I'd put it in a category with Greenstein's Ace on the River, with the following differences: Ace is more accessible to the layman, and Every Hand Revealed is more deeply engrossing from a theory standpoint.

The most entertaining NLHE I have read to date. Provides a different (Loose Aggressive) outlook on the game that most other books do not provide.

To me this is like a pokerized version of an analyzed chess game. That's what I really liked about it. There are 329 hands presented and commented on and what made the book special is the insight you can derive from the mind of a hyper-agressive player. To me that is extremely beneficial as I am more of a conservative player and frankly there really are no good books out there examining how such a "crazy" style of poker should be played. This book gives you that.

I commend Hansen on an extremely well written book with excellent hand analysis. A true classic if you ask me and I highly recommend it.

Let me use gus's insights to his tournament progression to beat you. i don't want to give you the added insights as to how to adjust play as the tournament progresses. let me win my first tournament first and then read this book. You can buy it, but don't read it. wrap it and open it for Christmas of 2012...buy then I should be able to cash and win a WSOP bracelet...after winning the aussie millions and a couple of WPT tournaments...DON'T READ IT!

I have read quite a few poker books and for me, the sample (and real) hands are what I found most useful. So naturally, this book intrigued me. It reinforced some of the things I was doing, showed me some things NOT to do, and gave me some other good tips on how people think at different stages of the tournament. I am about 2/3's through the book and played in a 90 person tourney last night and won it. DISCLAIMER: Admittedly, it required some breaks and good luck (just like Gus mentions countless times in his book). However, by relating some of the situations I found myself in last night with the book, I think it definely helped. Much of what Gus shares I have read in other books as theory, but seeing it applied really solidified it for me. This book is so good that my recommendation is DO NOT BUY IT!!! I might find you at the same table someday. Enjoy.

not a bad read. not a book for novices. you need to have working understanding already of tournament poker and the nuances of just playing. but for those who are starting out or just want a different from their own, its a good look into the mind of gus. the thoughts of course are solid and fairly honest as far as i can tell.

Sitting down and starting this book, I didn't really have too many preconceptions as to what it was going to be like. I hadn't heard a lot of buzz on the poker boards about it either.

I sat down and started to read, it really did impress me. It lays out his thought process on how he wants to approach the day, the table, the hand. With all the hands laid out in order, it makes for a very easy read. This was a great thing, my wife who doesn't like the standard poker books, was really sucked in to this one as well.

Well played 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.

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).

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

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!

But I can't stress this enough -- this book is superior entertainment for poker nuts (no pun intended, sort of). It absolutely is **NOT** an instruction manual on how to play in this style. There is way, way, way too little information to truely grasp the fine details of this style of play.

Did you love the movie Rounders? Me too. Did you learn to play poker by watching it? Same here.

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 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.

This book goes threw what every poker player wishes they knew, what the pros are thinking. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, a fun book that is not only educational but fun to read!

One of the best poker books I've read, and believe me, I've read a bunch! This book is a MUST READ if you are a MTT (multi-table tournament) player. If you are ring/cash game player, just move on and find another book as this is not for you.

As you read more and more of this book, you realize that Gus is really NOT a madman after all! He explains his reasoning for every move he makes. Though he takes you through the math he uses to make many of his decisions, you won't find any graphs or charts listed in this book. This book is simple to read, but definitely not for a beginner. You certainly need a basic understanding of MTT play. In his hand by hand descriptions, he explains how he feels about the situation, what he feels his opponent is holding and the reasons for his actions. This book is DEFINITELY worth reading!

Gus Hansen wanted to write a book about Poker that is different than all the books out there and he did it. He did it so well that I must admit the book worth every penny IF you were looking for this kind of material.

Do not buy this book if you want to learn how to play the game or strategies or tricks that you can use at the table. This book is about what was going through his mind before he raised a bet, checked or folded. You can get inside of a mind of a professional poker player, that what it promises and that is what it delivers.

This book is recommended from starter to advanced players since all of us could learn just by observing his game from behind his shoulders.

I'm only 100 pages into this book but I've decided to write my 1st Amazon review anyway! The book is so great it deserves it.

Amazingly enough, I think it reads like a novel. I'm just compelled to follow the 'Madman' hand after hand, as if I were in the 'Being John Malkovitch' movie (nothing to do with Teddy KGB, of course ;-))
I've read Slansky, Brunson, Harrington and many others; and I value Harrington for all he did to my gameplay ... but this is way beyond!

Once you know the essentials about Poker, like odds, hand requirements, the few techniques the everyday-player has, then you just have to open this book and enter in Wonderland!
It gives so many insights about the game that I decided to comment on it immediately!

I'm a conservative rock-like player, but thanks to this book I've just discovered the only one way to understand the true essence of Poker through the aggressive approach of the Danish genius.
It has nothing to do with hands' selection or your table position ... the truth is in your head, how imaginative you are, how clever you can be.

In my opinion, this is the most challenging book of them all: are you able to think? That's what the Master's asking you: Are you able to enter you opponent's mind while you focus on your sometimes-shaky strategy?

I'm only just French, so I lack the words to tell you how great this book is.
But if you believe me, you just buy it ... and it'll add to your bankroll before you even realize it!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I like the way Gus explains his hands, highlights critical hands (good and bad ones) and it shows his strategy throughout the tournament. His language is clear; he is funny, mocks himself sometimes, but never loses focus on the main goal: take pots and be in the final table, ultimately winning if given a chance. Great reading. I also liked the stats section, where you have the record to prove that his aggressive play worked.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a beginner (like me). Additionally, buying a book with more focus on pot odds and different strategies would complement this. At least, that is what I will do.

I almost read the book from cover to cover.
Gus Hansen describes all the hands in Aussie Classics big NL Holdem tournament that he eventually won.
It is a good book for NL Holdem players that can help improve your game, lots of valuable tips.
I would recommend this book to intermediate and advanced players. You need to know the basics of NL Holdem tournament games to enjoy it.

I can really recommend this book both for fun and knowledge.

Great working knowlege with a vast array of hands to play from. What a time consuming effort on trying to make this book possible.

Excellent poker book....fit my style perfect. I have played much better since reading this book. Very fun to read and get the logic behind the way he plays certain hands. Definitely recommend.

book arrived a lot faster than i thought. loved it and it came in the condition that was promised.

Before reading this book, I thought Gus was kind of nuts. He seems to play too many hands and far too many OOP but upon reading and re-reading his book I am in awe of his poker genius. This book is easily the most enlightening and educational poker book I have read save the HoH series. Compare this to Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, which is an above average effort imo, you will find quickly that there simply is no comparison. Hansen once again crushes the competition. His analysis is excellent, complex, and delves deep. If anyone is seriously considering whether to buy this or Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, HANSEN IS THE BETTER CHOICE. If you can purchase both though, they are both quite good, but Hansen's merits several re-readings, whereas the strategy provided in the other can be easily picked up for free by reading the many poker forums around.

I have read 3/4 of Every Hand Revealed over the last couple days and I have to say I'm very impressed. I have read many books on poker, but Gus Hansen's book is in my opinion the most educational tournament book you can buy. He lets the reader know what he was thinking about every hand he played in a major tournament that he wins. I have read all but the final table and I can say my attitude about holdem tournaments has changed. Well worth the $. If you're like me,an average player at best, this book will teach you to play with more confidence.

Now back to the final table!

Now that I have finished the book I have to say that I can see why I had so much trouble winning at NL Holdem tournaments.
I believe this book is a must for poker players that struggle in tournaments.

Grteat book that teachs you hand by hand how to play a tournament from the very beggining to the very end.

this is the first time ive actually come across a book that actually takes you into a real poker tournament with real hands and real-life scenarios. if this isn't your first poker book then you probably know that almost all of them are filled with poker theories and strategies. but this book actually takes you into the mind of one of the greatest poker players in the circuit
a healthy education for the tight players out there on how to loosen up a bit and an even better guide for aggressors on how to be even more successful with aggressive behaviour around the poker table

When Gus first published the book, I got it and spent the better part of a week absorbing it. I was thrilled with the close-up look at the motivation behind much of Gus' action at the poker table. It gave me valuable insights that helped me open up my personal poker game.

Recently, I recommended this book to a relatively new poker player, who later said he just didn't get it, and he gave it away. So, this week, I pulled the book off my shelf and revisited it.

Do I still recommend this book? Absolutely.

Do I recommend this book to new poker players? Maybe, IF, and this is an important if, they have the patience to work through each hand AND are serious about their game. They also must have a full understanding of how the physical aspects of Texas Hold'em, the importance of position, the value of the check-raise, and so on.

Certainly, going through 329 hands can be tedious; however, Gus' comments on every hand are priceless. Often he gives What-if's as well as his optional actions. Sure, it took me nearly a week to absorb the book, because I would carefully go through 50 or so hands and lay the book down. It is not a quick read, nor is it intended to be a casual read.

Who can benefit most from this book: Poker players who want to get into the mind of a world-class poker player and take their game to the next level.

Guys, this is your chance to get into the head of one of Professional Pokers Greats. For those aspiring novice poker players, this would be a fascinating and exciting read on how the Dane won the Aussie Tournament.

Although there are some instances that ths book leaves me wondering why this guy made that crazy move, in the end, his crazy style got him in the title. And you get to read it all in this book.

I would recommend this to beginners and novices who are just starting out in No-limit Hold'em cause it could give you an insight in one of Pokers Greatest Minds.

If you wonder what goes on in a professional poker player's head then this is the book for you. I have always wanted to know their thoughts process, even as an example, and this is as close to any book that I have ever read. Although the material gets redundant about 3/4 of the way into the book, it's still good, and because that is how he approach the game at that stage of his career.

The book is funny at some point. The writing is easy to read. Gus does teach a bit about the game from time to time. Over all, he tells us how and why he played his hands.

Some of benefits of this books is that he shows us a specific style which actually worked for him and all of his hands sample were real ones. Often, I read books where the hand examples were made up to full fill a point and therefore bias to me.

Hansen describes the play of, and the thought behind, every hand he played while winning a major poker tournament. With his ultra-aggressive style, this makes for action-packed play. You may not want to play his style of poker, but you need to understand it to succeed. It's quite a bargain as well.

Although I don't have the experience that Gus Hansen has in Poker, I am glad I read this. I have got better at deducing hands and also learning when to get out of trouble.

The service, the packege, the price and the delivery speediness was perfect
I am really thankful

I got this book for my husband who read the book in two days and has re read it since. He enjoyed it; fast reading and good tips, he said. If he's happy, I am happy.

A must read for anyone that enjoys reading about poker. I am a casual player and I find myself reading it right before a game as a sort of pregame warmup. Kind of gets my mind on the right tract.

This book reads as if you were a little gnome inside Gus' head while he was playing the Aussie Millions tourni, which he eventually won. Some of his remarks are pretty entertaining. This format would be ok, if he also mentioned the hands he mucked along the way. I think a big part of the game is deciding weather to enter the hand in the first place. He'll walk through a hand as the big blind, then on the next hand, he has jumped to somewhere in middle position.

Although this book may have a place on your shelf, if I could only read one poker book it wouldn't be this one. It would be something like 'Harrington on Holdem'. Dan's the man.

Well done. It is a poker players perfect read. obviously meant for a tournement player, but hand by hand insight is wonderful and a book unlike any i have read before. A quality which is rare. Thanks Mark.

Gus comments on almost every hand all that matters, not only his cards, but the other players stacks, images, range of cards, taking the reader step by step into his his thought process.

Very interesting as he comments what would be his prefered play, why he did or did not do that at the time, and gives many good tips.

A must have book for the insight on many situations and for the different style of showing the events. Recommended !

I was reading two other books at the time, one a best seller thriller. This book grabbed me from the get-go to the extent that I just stopped reading the other books, they simply could not compete with the entertainment value of this one! Perhaps this will inspire more poker books in this currently unique style, I hope so.

I have read many poker books before, but this one was the best and very entertaining to read. Once you start, it is hard to stop reading! I look forward to playing head up one day! You are the best Gus.

Great book! I'd recommend this to anybody who's willing to be a top class professional poker player.

Moreover, if you're an aggressive poker player, it's even BETTER!

Bluffing, continuation bet, trapping, folding even if you feel you have the best hand, etc. are all in the book!

For the price you can't go wrong with this book. I really like this approach too. Often sitting at a table I can't go through all the mathematically correct ways to play a hand in my head nor do I have access to a million charts. So I like that an author finally has approached the play with what was actually going through his head at the time. It's refreshing.

I gave it five stars because I like Gus Hansen. As pointed out it really isn't the in depth analysis of books by say Harrington and Slanksky but for the price it is well worth the easy read.

This book takes you through all the hands Gus Hansen played on his way to the 2007 Aussie Millions Championship, and the real-world charting of hands is a welcome change from books that only provide examples to underscore various poker principles.

Hansen is at once witty, incisive, self-critical, self-congratulatory, and his play is often surprising. He's not a madman, as some think, but he sure is aggressive (both pre- and post-flop). I think his strategies work best in live tournaments where the stakes are high. You could get murdered making some of his moves in smaller stakes action, especially online.

What makes the book most valuable is Hansen's explanations of his behavior: whether he crunches pot odds/implied odds, he's playing near the bubble and therefore more aggressive when others are typically tight or he's analyzing the info he's gotten from players' body language. He's also honest when reflecting on his mistakes and misreads, and this candor makes him more appealing as a player/person.

I flew through the text, as it was highly entertaining. I recommend this for devotees/players and casual fans alike.

Gus' book is a simple and no-nonsense approach. It is not a learning-book, but just a great view into the mind of one of poker's best. Instead of pages full of mathematical views on what is the right thing to do, this book takes you into every hand Gus played at the tournament. He shows how and explains why he played it that way, why he went aggressive at some points and laid back at others. You will read through it in a heart beat.

Every Hand Revealed is a different book as compared to other poker books. Gus Hansen has brought in this book a lot of practical play, rather than mudane theory and mathematics. This book, as the title suggests, is about all the hands he played in a tournament-winning performance.

He explains in a very lucid way the logic behind all his decisions at the poker table. He also explains the mistakes that he made and what could have been the more appropriate course of action. The book is entertaining and easy to read, and helps us know how top players play poker.

However, this book does not answer all questions that we might have about his tournament play. First and foremost, this book is not the correct one if you are looking to know the basics of math involved in poker. This book assumes you know the mathematical basics. Also, Gus Hansen has jotted down all the hands that he played. But he does not mention what type of hands he folded pre-flop. There are lots of bad cards that he played with (5-3 offsuite, for example), and he gives good reasoning for those plays, but he never talks about similar hands that he might have folded and reasons for those folds.
One more thing that I felt required more explanation was the reason behind selecting the amount of raise or re-raise. He mentions his raise amount, but does not delve into details of what made him decide that particular amount.

All in all, a very instructive and entertaining book that I would certainly recommend. But be ready to have some unknowns at the end of the read.

By far the best poker book I have read. Most poker books out right now focus only on theory and hypothetical hands and situations. With this book you really get to see the game throught the eyes and the mind of one of the greatest poker players. I think that Gus is so successful because he uses the "Small Ball" style of play and he uses this style sucessfully. I also use this type of play and it has brought me some success at the tables but after reading this book my small ball play has improved significantly.

This book is actually fun to read. Most other poker books I read in the past get boring fast because you are getting a bunch of numbers and theory, but this book kept me engaged, and before I knew it I had finished this book in 2 days.

I highly recommend this book for mid to advance players. I think beginners will get themselves in trouble if they use the contents of this book at the tables.

If anything, this book taught me to play aggressive and take a slightly fearless approach to the game. You have to remember, good hands are hard to come by, so you can't just sit and wait all day, especially in a torney where blinds and antes keep going up.


Now I just hope Gus writes another book during a cash game session. I would really love his insight on cash games.

I became a Gus Hansen fan the moment I saw him play in the WPT. Such an unpredictable and seemingly crazy style led me to think that Gus was the luckiest player in the world.

He is, howver, one the most skilled and intelligent players around, and there is, indeed, method to the madness.

This is a very entertaining and informative book... Once I started reading, I finished in 2 days. Very addictive read.

Interesting journey through Hansen's Australian Open win a few years ago, Hansen gives you his thinking on every hand and the overall strategy he followed at each point in the tournament.

I'm not sure whether this book was a good idea or not. If you read the numerous poker strategy books out there, you get the sense that there is a perfect way to play every hand. Sklansky, for example, literally pioneered a poker theory that used math to identify the odds that correctly deterine each play. It's enough to make you feel downright disgraceful when you sit down at the table, get dealt ace-rags, and decide that against your better judgment, it's the right move to re-raise UTG pre-flop.

Well, if there's just one thing you learn from this book, it's that you aren't the only person who plays a hand incorrectly just because you had a feeling. And these people are some of the best in the world.

There's a reason poker theory is called theory, it's because it's theoretical. All the math looks so neat and authoritative written out in formula on the page. But sitting at a table, it gets messier, and this is where this book is useful. Gus Hansen lays out how he plays every hand from beginning to final table, and you get to see how, even with his brilliant knowledge of the game, he still takes long-shot chances based on feel, rather than theory.

It's useful to learn that great players make flawed decisions, but I do wonder whether it's a good idea to show the sausage making. We can't all make brilliant reads like Hellmuth, and it's a little dangerous to get into the habit of thinking that you can still win major tournaments by making less than ideal plays.

Nonetheless, the insight from this book make it a must read. Just remember, when learning poker from pros, it's usually do what they say, not what they do.

Since most books that offer examples only have formulated situations and others at best show selective examples, it is nice to read a book from a pro that shows every hand in a tournament to not only show the difficult decisions but the grind decisions that everyone overlooks but many misplay.

Name of book should be "I raise everyone folds"......LOL

The harrington bookjs are better although its interesting to see how he thinks......he made it seem so simple and noone ever has the balls to step up to him, nevertheless an interesting read indeed!

The statement in the title, made by Brian Townsend, is not really accurate, but it is not as far from the truth as most people that have watched Gus Hansen play on TV would think. I may be a little biased, since Gus is my favorite poker pro, but I know one thing for sure: whoever plays against him assuming he is a brainless maniac is in for a rude awakening and is likely to lose all his chips.

In this wonderful book, Gus Hansen takes us through all the hands he played in the Aussie Millions tournament. The insights we get regarding why he plays each hand a certain way are truly invaluable. I have to admit though that you need to have a certain level of poker experience to be able to follow the fast-paced explanations and brief comments on pot odds, blind / ante structures and overall poker strategy. It is not the most advanced poker book you will find, but it is not for beginners either.

The writing is witty and the insights are useful. The author keeps a fast-pace and slows down when necessary to explain deeper strategic points or hands that do not have a clear "right" answer in the way they are played. This book is half entertaining account of a quest and half a poker manual, with the final result being simply outstanding. Highly recommended!

This book is not like any other poker book. He tells you how and why he played every hand like he did. 5 stars

An amazing insight into the strategy and thinking behind Gus Hansen's 2007 Aussie Millions tournament victory. The only poker book I've thoroughly enjoyed from cover to back. Very highly recommended. A must-have for every serious tournament poker player.

Hansen has written a book that follows every hand he played through a tournament he ultimately won, and it is a fascinating read. His super aggressive strategy paid off. Hansen's book leaves the impression if you raise big everyone will fold, so any hand can win, but be careful trying this strategy with casual players who refuse to fold.

I consider myself a moderately avid poker player: weekly low stakes games, a tournament once in awhile, and a couple of trips per year to the casino. Skill wise I would like to think that I am above average, but wouldn't we all. That said, my biggest weakness is my attention span. I get distracted an find it hard to focus on poker books which are written like college text books. Don't get me wrong, I've forced myself through a number of Sklansky's books, however they are often painful to read. This book was a joy. Even though you already knows how it ends, the author is able to keep you intrigued and teach you about how to play tournament poker. Now let me reiterate, only read this book if you want a good read AND play in tournaments. Some of his strategies would kill you in a cash game. Overall Hansen does a great job of keeping you interested while providing some important lessons, and is refreshingly self-critical at times.

The only reason that I didn't give it an extra star is that it could have used another round of editing... but that makes it fun as well.

yes, it's a novel in fact, not properly a poker book, but it's fun and with some new idea about playin poker with persons, not with cards. In fact Gus shows all he thought in Aussie. it's nice to enter in Madman's brain!

I really enjoyed reading this book by Gus Hansen. He is a very interesting player with a very interesting style, and I liked reading how he approaches a tournament and how he thinks through a hand. The book literally lists each hand that Gus played in the Aussie Millions, and it was nice to see how many hands are won preflop or after the flop in order to get a realistic picture of how tournament poker works. The greatest benefit of the book is that it introduces and emphasizes the feel aspect of tournament poker, instead of pure numbers and hypothetical situations that make up alot of the hold 'em tournament books out there.

I was amazed at how many hands Gus was involved in where he didn't make any kind of legitimate poker hand, and how many of those he won. A large percentage of the hands he plays end up with no pair, no draw after the flop but due to pure aggression and relentless pressure Gus wins a good number of those. I think these types of situations present the most important lesson of the book: that in tournament poker the most important thing is chip accumulation, whether or not you actually make a hand. If you sit around waiting for big hands preflop or the nuts after the flop your chip stack will dwindle and you won't have any ammunition later in the tournament when the blinds are high. Gus does a great job of showing how to win pots with no hand and how to keep your chip stack growing regardless of the cards you're dealt, because statistically you simply won't get dealt great hands that often.

Alot of the hands in the book are won preflop, with Gus raising and everyone else getting out of his way. While I liked seeing how often this happened and how important it is to pick up pots preflop in good position, it was a liiiiittle boring to read, and therefore my reason for the 4 star review (well, that and the excessive use of exclamation points). But Gus' writing style is very casual and very easy to read and he is very honest about his play and often second guesses himself and the decisions he made in this tournament, which was refreshing to see.

I've already read all the Harrington books, and while they're fantastic for learning advanced tournament strategy, I found myself playing too tight and boring afterwards. This book helped me realize the aggressive side of poker, and that sometimes the cards in your hand don't matter at all and you have to attack pots frequently to keep growing your stack and stay in the hunt in a tournament. If you sit around waiting for AK all day, you're simply not gonna have enough chips to last 'til the final table. This book really gave me the courage to play the right way and instead of being scared to put chips in the pot, now I actually look forward to betting and being involved in more hands. I think a combination of Harrington's fundamentals and Gus' aggression will lead to an excellent and winning tournament style. It sounds cheesy, but after reading this book I felt inspired to play and went to a local bar tournament and won the whole thing. Not a huge deal, but it was nice to see such a quick turnaround in my game. Gus' strategies and fearless syle had alot to do with it. Overall great book and highly recommended.

Excellent quality book received in a timely manner and a great read for all poker lovers.

The narrative that takes us along with Gus as he wins the Aussie Millions is worth the price you pay for the book. If it doesn't help your game at all it is so much fun following Gus through the myriad decision-points that made up his win that you shouldn't feel cheated. The book is also written in a refreshingly modest manner. There is nothing in here about our hero always winning if it weren't for luck. Instead, he points out himself the hidden luck that allowed him to win pot after pot because his opponents didn't have good enough cards to stiffen their backbones.

However, what this book can teach you about chip-accumulation and aggression is even more important. This book will show any poker player who isn't a self-consciously tight sourpuss that the NL tournament game is about position and stack size and cards _in that order_

For a more detailed understanding of these matters it might be a good idea to get Snyder's two book on the poker tournament formula but this book should be read as an example and an inspiration.

this book is for players who are already intermediate. already winning players. the benefits of this book for those players can be outstanding and will take your game to another level.

gus does a fantastic job. this isnt one of those "world poker tour" books that read as if the author has never even taken a glance at his own book. gus tells you the importance of aggression and he gives so many awesome examples its perfect. and its not just all the intelligent information he gives... the book truly does read beautifully. the book is simply about the aussie millions 2007 tournament that he won.. and he goes hand by hand how he accumulated chips and his thinking pattern. I am not the type of person to take the time to write a review, but because this book is such a steal at like 10$ and ive read tons of books and this was the best, i highly recommend it.

seriously, gus gives so many great tips on how to play post flop, such specific information that ive been dying to read about and never have - that this book excites me. you obviously have to think for yourself. no book will tell you exactly how to win, but this book gets you thinking and tells you what play makes sense the most. even at gus's level (which im no where close to) there are still types of players which he will precisely tell you about his thinking on how to beat.

get this book. its a hidden gem.

It's amazing how much those pro knows about the game that beyound my wildest imagination. I learned so much from this book than watch the TV poker games online. Gus really put tons of detail of how he thinks and how he analyze the hand within each different situation. You wont regreat to read this book, and more likely you will learn something from it.

Very easy read and great detail into the mindset of Gus as he plays a major tournament...

This has to be one of the few poker books that is an actually entertaining read. If you have just a basic knowledge of poker (and understand slang/lingo) you will get a kick out of this book.

There are tons of books on 'systems' 'strategy' and all the rest. This is a different way to talk someone through a certain poker mindset and the grueling days of a poker tournament. And that's what is really great about this book. He admits sometimes he plays in ways that don't really make sense or fit into a system. Sometimes you just get a feeling about a certain hand or bet or player.

The other thing that really helps this book is, unlike watching WSOP on ESPN (or any other poker program) is that they cut the 'nothing' hands. Here, Gus leaves no hand unturned (in a sense) even he was forced to edit out some mucked hands, but in any situation where he threw chips in, he writes about it. And he wins those pots before the flop on a regular basis- one of his keys to building up the war chest for bigger pots to come.

He talks a good amount about the mathematics of hands and pots and how to bet, but it doesn't really bog down the flow of the book (that kind of stuff is better explained elsewhere, he's just talking shop). If you like poker, you will enjoy this book.

Having read this book in one sitting, I can recommend it as a fascinating insight into a maniac's mind. As a semi-professional poker player, I do not recommend using it as a plan for your own success. After reading it I tried his maniac approach in several online games and got severely beaten up. Perhaps my reads were not accurate, or too many people are playing his style, but my chip swings were massive and unsuccessful. What truly awed me in the book were his detailed summary of his chip count, position, cards, opponent's cards, their chip count, etc. I just don't understand how he could have tracked all 329 hands so closely. I have tried to just keep track of my own cards, the ultimate winning cards, my postion and it is darn hard!!! I know that he tape records comments as he goes along, but dang. His math skills and thought processes on pot odds are amazing, and his suggestions on blind stealing, M theory, and the money ladder are all very enlightening. I do recommend reading this, but careful kids, it's a jungle out there!

This is the first book that I've read that not only talks about techniques such as slow play, aggressive play etc but shows you in a REAL situation how it was used.

There are two books I recommend to read prior to this one. The first one is by Ken Warren "Texas Holdem" which goes into a Conservative Basic Strategy to Intermediate, and Daniel Negreanu's "Hold'em Wisdom for all Players" which goes into Medium type strategy.

This book teaches you how to play AGRESSIVE to BALLS OUT strategy, but most importantly how and when to play them. There is a time and a place and this will teach you when.

Before reading the first two books I went from lasting 30-60 minutes in a tournament to lasting 2-3 hours. Then I read Gus's book and my level of play went through the roof. Now I am so confident and knowledgeable about my game that I expect to make every final table. And I just learned to play the last 6 months!!!

This is not your typical book so don't expect an A-Z explanation. This book is on how he won a tournament hand by hand, and goes through his thinking process before calling, folding, raising, re-raising etc.

Enjoy and have fun.

Interesting read. great to test your hand and strategic analysis against one of the great no limit players of our time.

Every serious player reads poker books. Most cover basic and advance concepts on what to play, when to play it,and how to play it. Hansen's book takes you through a full tournament, hand by hand, and provides his unique perspective to "why"! I rate it at the top of my list of must read books for serious "learners".

This is the best poker book I've seen so far, specially for those users that want to learn the aggressive style.

Gus Hansen definitely proved there is reason to his madness.

The title says it all. You basically come very close to understand how Gus Hansen -one of the few poker legends- thinks, through this epic journey of the 300 odd real hands played at the aussie millions 2007.

This actually takes real guts, because Gus is not afraid to reveal his way of thinking to future opponents.
Every pro should follow on Gus's lead.

Watching pros play poker is often confusing. Some of their decisions seem strange, counterintuitive, and just plain wrong. This is especially true of Gus Hanson, who frequently makes plays that would seem clinically insane if it he didn't consistently wins huge amounts of money. Watching him go all in with nothing in his hand and no draws leaves the viewer wondering "What was he thinking?"

He answers that question in "Every Hand Revealed." He gives a play by play analysis of what he did, and why he did it, for every hand he played in the Aussie Millions tournament, where he finished first and won a million and a half dollars.

He's not embarrassed to discuss his mistakes in detail, or to admit that he did something because he just felt like it. He talks about when he was really thinking about his next move, and where he had already decided and was just putting on a show. He details the calculations he uses to make his decisions and talks about when to avoid coin flip hands and when they're worth the risk. He shows how he increases his chip stack with rotten cards, especially when the antis come into play, and how he uses his stack size to push other players around.

Will it make you a better tournament poker player? Maybe. It's not going to make you the next Gus Hanson, but it will show you how to use aggression creativity, the importance of stack size (both yours and your opponents) when making decisions, when to be aggressive and when to back off, and how unimportant the right cards can be in some situations. But even if it doesn't dramatically improve your play, it's a great read for moderate to advanced players.

This book was truly amazing and surely one of a kind books that will spawn all sorts of hybrids that other people are sure to right based upon Gus' book.

What a wonderful book. I have a library of about 15 poker books and this is my favorite. It does not teach poker theory, as do others, but it does give the reader great insight into the mind of a (not so) madman, while reading like a suspensful page turner.
I have not seen any other book like it, and it stands out as fresh and original in a sea of poker books.

No doubt that some people will read this book and exclaim: That's it!! I can do that!!

Well guess what: You can't. Gus does a great job of proving why he is one of the most feared players in the world. He shows a subtle mental break down of what he is think when he raises w/ 8 T off suit UTG and why he believes he can take the blinds.

Don't try this at home, you will lose all of your money.

One interesting aspect is you see the logic behind why Gus is doing what he does best and why it works. The book itself is very entertaining and almost comical. I think you can incorporate some of this style into your playing but no to the degree than Mr. Hansen does. And please, don't try.

This is not a "How To" book but a comprehensive and complete version of "How Gus Hansen Did It" when he won the Aussie Millions in 2007. It is extremely insightful and well written and includes many nuggets for serious poker players.

For any tournament enthusiasts, this book is really great, fun reading. Gus's reputation is well known and he is very self explanatory in his actions, style of play, and even the times things don't work out as planned. I'm not a strictly by numbers or mathematics holdem player and Gus's use of math and percentages is minimal; pot odds, estimating possible opponent's hands, but never goes overboard. I like to switch from a tight to loose aggressive style and I've already started putting some of these plays to use. Although for tourney play, the book suggests ideas and strategies that can be applied to cash games such as position play, reraises, % to bet, and so on.

Overall, this one's a keeper!

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!

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!

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.