The 15-minute break. A brief respite from the stresses and intensity of tournament poker.
Some players find a quiet corner to meditate or take a power nap. Some chat with fans and do interviews. Others run hands through their solvers — far away from the tables, of course.
And then there's a man who has decided that part of making it a great summer at the 2026 WSOP includes juggling.
If you've been in the vicinity of any of the $10K+ tournaments over the last couple of weeks, you've probably seen legendary Gus Hansen juggling – and improving day by day.
We had to find out why.
"Basically, I've always played a lot of tennis – so stuff with balls," he says. "And it's just fun to juggle. I’ve only been doing the straight up normal three balls, nothing else so far.”
With more time at the WSOP on his schedule this year, the Great Dane decided it was the perfect opportunity to get some practice in.
“I'm here, I'm playing a lot of poker, there are breaks going on, and I just thought, ‘Hey, let’s try and learn some more tricks.’
"I’ve been watching some Instagram videos. This one guy I follow breaks it down, and I’m just starting slow, but it's actually fun and I'm getting better.”
For someone who only picked it up three weeks ago, he's not bad.
From catching cards to catching balls
Hansen says he's not doing it to reset his brain or get his energy back up. It's just a fun, new hobby to keep him occupied during his least favorite part of a day of tournament poker.
“I’ve never been a big fan of breaks in poker tournaments," he says. "When I’m here, I just like to play poker. By the way, I think it’s a great addition on Day 1 that there’s no dinner break. I think it's good. People come here to play. On the 15-minute breaks, sometimes I go for a pee, but then I have 10-12 minutes. It’s time to juggle.”
Poker players love to set goals, and Hansen is no different when it comes to his new activity. He says he wants to be juggling four balls at some point this year, but he has no plans of running away and joining the Danish circus when he does.
“Nah, I’m gonna skip on that," he says.
For now, his priorities remain unchanged: play poker, spend time with his son, and maybe learn how to keep four balls in the air at once.
