Gus Hansen Now: Poker, Fatherhood and Life Beyond the Tables

Our look at Gus Hansen’s net worth explored his major tournament payouts and substantial online losses. Here, we look at how the Great Dane lives today, how much poker he still plays and what keeps him busy away from the tables.

Is Gus Hansen Still Playing Poker?

Yes, Gus Hansen still plays professional poker. He joined Team Winamax in 2024 and continues to compete in live tournaments, balancing poker with fatherhood and his interest in padel.

In a 2024 interview with SpadePoker, Hansen clarified that he had not retired from poker in 2014. Although he played relatively few tournaments between 2014 and 2019, he continued playing cash games during his visits to Las Vegas and remained a professional poker player.

His son’s birth in 2020, together with the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, led him to spend less time playing poker.

Finding a Team at Winamax

An important step in Hansen’s return to the tournament circuit came in 2024, when he joined Team Winamax. His longtime friend Stéphane Matheu, the team’s manager, encouraged him to join, giving Hansen fresh motivation to compete alongside a group of fellow professionals.

Hansen has spoken on several occasions about feeling part of a team for the first time at Winamax. He enjoys the support the players give one another and takes an interest in his teammates’ results alongside his own.

Hansen also recognizes how much poker has evolved and how strong its specialists have become. He sees better prospects against elite no-limit hold’em specialists in mixed games than in their preferred format.

A New Hobby During WSOP Breaks

During the 2026 World Series of Poker, Hansen found an unusual way to occupy himself between levels: juggling. At the time, he had been practicing for around three weeks, using tutorials on Instagram.

He could already juggle three balls and hoped to manage four by the end of the year. For Hansen, who disliked tournament breaks, it was an enjoyable way to fill the time before play resumed.

How Fatherhood Changed Gus Hansen’s Life

Away from poker, becoming a father brought new priorities into Hansen’s life. His son Arthur was born in 2020. Speaking to Anne Sofie Kragh in RADIO IIII’s September 2026 interview series, Hansen explained that he had expected to have children since his early twenties, although he kept finding reasons to wait.

Marriage had rarely featured in his plans, and he spoke openly about never having been in a monogamous relationship. Fatherhood, however, was something he had long wanted.

He believed that he and Malan Djurhuus could be good parents together. They tried living together as a family before deciding they worked better apart. As Hansen described it, Arthur now has two good homes, and they continue to care about one another. Although their relationship had ended, he felt they had succeeded as parents together.

Fatherhood changed his attitude toward compromise. He had often questioned the compromises expected in a relationship, but was willing to make them for his son. Looking back on years of travel, major wins and losses, he described becoming a father as the one true game changer.

Having Arthur also made him more open to possibilities he had rarely considered. His older sister’s family offered a positive example of family life, and he sometimes wondered what it might be like for his son to have a sibling.

Gus Hansen: Personal Life and Background

From Backgammon and Tennis to Padel

Poker has never been Hansen’s only competitive interest. Before becoming internationally known at the tables, he played backgammon in Denmark, where club competitions gave him regular opportunities to learn from experienced opponents.

Tennis was another early passion. He dreamed of becoming a professional player, but eventually recognized that he was not good enough to make a career of it. His interest in racket sports remained, and padel has become an increasingly important part of his life.

Hansen enjoys analyzing the game, identifying mistakes and working out how to improve. He also likes helping other players develop.

Coaching Oscar Sebber Gormsen in Brussels

In a May 2026 interview with ElDesmarque, Hansen described accompanying Danish padel player Oscar Sebber Gormsen to a Premier Padel event in Brussels as his coach.

Sebber Gormsen and his partner lost in the first qualifying round, but Hansen enjoyed the coaching experience. He liked passing on his knowledge and hoped to have more opportunities to coach.

Playing doubles also requires a kind of cooperation that poker does not. Hansen acknowledged that working with a partner on court was something he was still learning.

His enthusiasm extends beyond coaching. Wherever he travels, he makes room in his luggage for a padel racket and shoes.