On Tuesday, Full Tilt Poker will open its doors for real money play for the first time since June 2011, when its gaming license was suspended. Now owned by PokerStars, Full Tilt features sponsored pros that include Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Gus Hansen (pictured). We caught up with the latter to talk about Full Tilt coming back to life this week.

“Full Tilt is where I play,” Hansen told us when asked about joining the new Full Tilt as its first sponsored pro. “I have had some great times on the site and feel closely related to the brand. When I was presented with an opportunity to be part of getting the brand back on its feet and getting the games rolling again, I didn’t hesitate.” Hansen was also a sponsored pro of the old Full Tilt.

In the middle of last month, Full Tilt Poker added Dwan and Blom to its pro team, dubbing the group “The Professionals.” “Tom and Viktor are great for the game,” Hansen told PocketFives. “They are very skillful, yet unorthodox players. They are super talented, complete action junkies, and not afraid of anyone at the poker table. Everybody agreed that getting them onboard would spur a lot of action online and a lot of commotion. I am looking forward to taking them down on Full Tilt.”

U.S. Full Tilt players remain separated from their funds and are awaiting word from the Department of Justice on how to recoup their bankrolls. Although Full Tilt referred any questions from us about the U.S. remission process to the DOJ, Hansen gave a preview of what non-U.S. players can expect: “From what I have seen so far, the site is coming back stronger and with several new features. Full Tilt always had the best software in the world – that is not going to change.”

Hansen is a member of the Denmark pokercommunity, joining players like 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Peter Eastgate (pictured) and Mickey mementmori Petersen. We asked Hansen about the state of poker in his homeland: “I have met a lot of very talented, new players, so I guess the Danes are still putting in the extra hours at the tables. I was fortunate to be part of the boom of poker, both online and on TV, so I’d like to think I had a positive influence on the growth of poker.”

Hansen is fifth on the World Poker Tour money list at $4 million on the strength of winning three events in the tour’s first two seasons. He booked his first WSOP bracelet in 2010 and is 13th on poker’s all-time tournament money list, according to the Hendon Mob. His last major splash at a live tournament came in January, when he took third at the AUD $250,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions for USD $823,000.

Away from poker, sports and keeping fit have always been staples of Hansen’ life. He added, “I am a big sucker for racket sports. Currently, I am practicing for the World Championships of Racketlon (a combination of table tennis, badminton, squash, and tennis), and I am hoping for a top 10 spot.”

In 2009, Hansen famously squared off in a boxing ring with Theo Jorgensen in Copenhagen, but lost via judge’s decision after three rounds. Hansen actually placed a handicap on himself, and Jorgensen’s win earned him $35,000. If Hansen had won, he would have collected $25,000.

“I was doing a project called Gus TV at the time and the idea surfaced to box against Theo,” Hansen said of the bout. “Although I lost, we had a lot of fun setting up the match, but I doubt we will ever see a rematch. Theo will never get fit again.”

Finally, Maryland’s Greg Merson won the WSOP Main Event last week after a record-setting final table that stretched for 399 hands and banked $8.5 million. When asked if he had ever played with Merson before, Hansen responded, “I have yet to have the pleasure of playing with Greg. I might get the chance to play with Greg in Macau or on Full Tilt – he is more than welcome.”

We’ll have details on the U.S. remission process as they become available on PocketFives. For non-U.S. players, the site reopens on Tuesday.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.