The first episode of the latest season of the Winamax-produced video series Inside the Mind of a Pro premiered Monday on the Winamax Europe YouTube channel, marking the show's tenth anniversary by following one of the old-school poker legends and the latest recruit to Team Winamax – Gus Hansen.
The episode kicks off with Hansen meeting up with his Winamax compatriots for a final sendoff before he buys in to the World Series of Poker Main Event after a years-long hiatus from the tournament. Hansen consults Joao Vieira – one of the most well-established live and online tournament players and a fellow Winamax Pro – with lingering questions before ponying up the $10,000 buy-in and taking his seat.
An inside look with The Great Dane
Across the remainder of the episode, Hansen takes viewers on a journey through Day 1 of his Main Event run. From initial impressions of his tablemates to displaying Hansen's old-school moves, the episode offers viewers an unprecedented look into the mind of 'The Great Dane'.
It's a relatively quiet Day 1 experience for Hansen, but simply listening to him explain his thought process in each spot could help to broaden your own way of thinking when it comes to early-stage tournament play. The WSOP Main Event is a marathon of an event and, with that in mind, it makes sense to take a somewhat small-ball approach to each hand. Plus, it's Hansen's first time firing the Main Event in several years, it's going to take him a level or two to find his footing.
Hansen touches on the advancements made in the No-Limit Hold'em streets over the past decade, noting that the discipline is far from his strongest game and that he hasn't exactly been keeping up with the solver wizards. Still, Hansen's base-level understanding of the advanced concepts of Hold'em serves him well and his understanding of people – specifically, his pattern recognition when it comes to players at his table – serves him even better.
Aside from the unique access to insight from Hansen, Inside the Mind of a Pro boasts incredibly high production value, making each episode a visual joy to watch.
