Thor Hansen: From Pool to Poker

Similar to the lives of several professional poker players, the skills of Thor Hansen in poker were also honed at a very young age. As a child, he was always asked by his parents to man the family's grocery store in Norway. By being in charge of operating the cash register and by tallying up amounts of sales, Thor Hansen's mathematical skills were honed, which unconsciously became his preparation for being a successful professional poker player.

It was during that time too that Thor Hansen came to learn about the game of poker. He became passionate about the game but he did not think of becoming a professional poker player someday. In fact, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career in the hotel industry. Every time he had a free time, Thor Hansen would tirelessly play poker and pool. During this time, he was more hooked in playing pool than in playing poker. During his early twenties, he was already recognized as a professional pool player.

However, Thor Hansen came to a point when he realized that playing pool professionally was not giving him enough income. He needed to find a job that would provide him a stable income, and it was during this time that Thor Hansen decided to shift from playing professional pool to playing professional poker.

Born in Oslo, Norway on June 23, 1947, Thor Hansen has always been successful in his participation in World Series of Poker events. It was in 1988 when this professional poker player earned his very first World Series of Poker bracelet. The event he played was the US$5,000 Seven-Card Stud event wherein he won the cash prize of US$158,000 aside from the World Series of Poker bracelet.

In 2002, Thor Hansen once again proved his worth as a professional poker player when he earned his second World Series of Poker bracelet. The game he participated in was the US$1,500 Deuce to Seven Lowball wherein he also won US$62,600. This professional poker player almost won his third World Series of Poker bracelet in 2006 when he finished second in the US$3,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event.

Thor Hansen also experienced success with his participation in the Limit Hold'em event of the Los Angeles Poker Classic tournament in 2004, wherein he placed first. This professional poker player also finished first in the Seven Card event of the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic tournament that was held in the same year. His stellar skills in playing poker also allowed this professional poker player to win the Norwegian Poker Player of the Year award in 2005.

A current resident of El Segundo, California, Thor Hansen's contributions to the poker industry are not limited to merely being a professional poker player. He is also known to be a successful businessman, co-owning the company known as Poker Blue.

Indeed, Thor Hansen's contributions to the poker world have allowed him to be known not only in Norway and the United States, but all over the world.