Alexander Stevic and Cecelia Nordenstam

Cecelia Nordenstam and Alexander Stevic

The first time I met her was at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, a stunning beauty, playing an aggressive and disciplined game of poker, yet with a friendliness and a genuinely relaxed attitude that is rather rare in people playing for such high stakes. Her name, Cecilia Nordenstam, 25 years of age, born in Gothenburg, Sweden. Two years ago, she was working as a dealer in the Casino Cosmopol, in her hometown, when she met professional poker player Alexander Stevic. It was a meeting that would change both of their lives. Within just one year of playing, Cecilia has moved up to the high-stakes games, and she is now competing in the biggest tournaments in the world.

Recently, she made the money four times in the prestigious Five-Star World Poker Classic at Bellagio - having entered just four events. A college graduate, Cecelia has been able to cope with the difficulties of the game remarkably well. As Alexander puts it: "I have never met someone who is this smart. She has become a great player very quickly. In fact, it will be just a matter of time before she surpasses me, and I will become Cecilia's boyfriend - instead of her being my girl."

Well, if this prediction is correct, Cecilia must have a great future ahead of her, because Alexander Stevic is more than your average poker player. Having already established himself as a successful no-limit hold'em cash game player on the Internet, he won the first-ever European Poker Tour event in Barcelona. This win saw him qualify for the EPT Grand Final, where he was able to survive several all ins, and, despite having a short stack at the final stages of the event, he managed to take third place, immediately behind winner Rob Hollink and runner-up Brandon Schaefer. The TV broadcasts showed that, on the second day, when Alex still had the chip lead, he was actually more concerned about how Cecilia was doing at the televised table than about his own performance!

Cecelia Nordenstam

About Poker
When we sat down for lunch outside of the Gran Casino Barcelona, where Alex had been playing the World Heads-Up Championships, I asked him if he had said that for the cameras or if he really meant it. "Well," he answered, "I guess I really meant it. You know, I don't want people to talk about Cecilia as if she is just a girl, or just Alexander's girlfriend. I want them to acknowledge her for her performance at the table, and that's why I was so eager for her to book a good result there - because, I tell you, she really can play. Most people who have been playing for just a year or so can easily be classed as beginners, but with Cecilia, this is absolutely not the case. She is a really fast learner, and because she is so intelligent, she digests information much more easily than most other young players would. Her main strength is probably her discipline, but her timing is excellent, as well. I have no doubts that in less than a year, she will be a better player than me."

"So, how would you describe your own game, then, Alex?" I asked.

He paused for a moment, and said: "You know, Rolf, I guess my main strength is my imagination; I am much more creative than most other players. But, at the same time, it is also my biggest enemy. I am not lying when I tell you that I'm a big loser in any game other than no-limit hold'em. If the games are limit, for example, or if in some other way there is a premium on consistency or automatic plays, I stand no chance, because I always want to be involved, finding solutions that other players could not find. That's why I like no-limit hold'em, especially no-limit hold'em cash games, because in those, you can win by putting plays on someone, or by playing surprise hands on occasion. But, even in no-limit hold'em tournaments, I sometimes have to say to myself: Alex, play tight now, and just do the obvious. In fact, Rolf, you were there at the EPT Grand Final, where there was a large group of Swedes cheering me on. One of them was Martin de Knijff. However, he wasn't actually there to cheer; he was there to keep an eye on me, making sure I wouldn't get involved in marginal situations by playing crummy hands. There were hands that I was about to play, that I wanted to play, but when I looked back and saw Martin sitting there, with his bald, shiny head and his eyes full of fire, I knew I had to fold! I am certain that if he had not been there watching me, I never would have come third, because I would not have had the discipline to throw away all the cards that I did."

About Life
So, there we were, two Swedes and a Dutchman, enjoying the sun in this city that we all love, Barcelona. I looked once more at these two young people, who without a doubt make for a highly interesting combination: this likeable young man, with no formal education, with lots of imagination, but not a lot of discipline, and this beautiful young woman, with a psychology college degree, who, as a result of intensive training by her boyfriend, has ended up as a great poker talent - with patience and discipline as her main strengths!

Cecilia reflected on this: "Yes, you could say that we are a good match in that sense. But, at the same time, Alexander's discipline has improved tremendously, as well. It has been great to profit from his experience and insights, but that doesn't mean I always listen to him. In fact, I almost never listen to him!" She laughed. "Still, I continue to work hard on improving my game, to win a big event so that we can save a lot of money, and be able to afford to play less often. Also, I am someone who is quite easily bored, so I have to admit that - even though I enjoy the game a lot right now - I am not 100 percent certain that I will continue to like it over time.

"When we first got together, it wasn't all plain sailing. At the time, I was studying psychology and dealing in the Casino Cosmopol in Gothenburg. Our schedules were out of sync: When he was in the casino playing poker, I was often sleeping, and when he was sleeping, I was at college. It's only now that we're travelling together to major events, that our relationship has become a bit steadier. We don't actually live with each other in Gothenburg, even though we spend a lot of time together. That makes it even more special to travel around Europe and the United States, to visit new places and be together all the time. Then, when we get back to our hotel, we can replay the events of the day together, and of course we always argue, because I never agree with him!" At this, Alex nodded his head in agreement. Cecelia continued: "Right now, though, life on the circuit is much more fun for Alex than it used to be. He used to do this travelling all by himself, and now he has me to join him. Plus, we are quite good at discussing strategies, because it is not just Alex tutoring me anymore; I have my own points as well nowadays, so conversations have become an open discussion, rather than just Alex teaching me.

"For now, we will just see how things develop - in both poker and in our relationship. We are both fairly young, and things can go any which way. We might even start living together, who knows? Actually, Alex has just bought two apartments, so it is not like the possibility does not exist. First, though, we will focus on having fun, and on trying to get as much out of poker as possible."

I asked whether it was a problem that the qualities that are required in order to become a successful player (deception, aggression, relentlessness) are not necessarily good qualities in relationships. Some players believe there is a potential Jekyll and Hyde scenario there, in which players have to act the role of the strong and ruthless battler at the poker tables and then switch to a friendly and caring person in the security of one's home. Cecilia and Alexander don't see this as a problem. They say they're no different at the table than they are in real life, and think that even in the heat of the battle, they still are just good people. Alex added to this: "It is important that your playing style suits your personality, and with us, that is probably the case. If you are really just a gentle person but think that at the poker table it is necessary to act like a bully who cares about nothing, you may run into trouble. But for us, this is not much of an issue at all - as we simply try to be the same at and away from the tables.

"Whenever we play in the same events, we obviously do have a share in each other, but, just as our sponsor Martin de Knijff wants us to, this does not stop us from playing hard against anyone who is part of our team. If that means knocking each other out, so be it. We don't want to be seen as cheats, and we care a lot about our integrity. As an example, we had recently just arrived in the United States when there had been some rumors about possible collusion between the players on our team. But then when people actually saw us play, and noticed that we had no problems busting each other out, they could see that we were OK - and that's exactly the way we want to be viewed."

When asked what accomplishments they are most proud of, Cecilia mentioned two things: her excellent results at Bellagio's Five-Star World Poker Classic, and the occasion when she managed to win two online tournaments with more than 30 players each in a single day. For Alex, in addition to his good no-limit hold'em cash results, it is his two good EPT cashes: a win in Barcelona and a third place in Monte Carlo.

Alex had to fight very hard for his third-place finish in Monte Carlo. On the bubble, he was forced to make what seemed to me an amazing laydown. He had reraised a player before the flop for a bit more than half of his stack, and when this same player moved all in, Alex folded! It seemed to me that any hand would have been worth a call there, but Alex disagreed. He said: "If you call as a dog, you are usually out. I at least had some chips left to fight myself back into the event. Even though I needed to get lucky once or twice to get there, in the end it was that fold that helped me make it to third place. In fact, if I hadn't folded, I probably would never have reached the final at all.

"The hand that I'm most proud of, though, was a crucial pot that I won in Barcelona. At the final table, three players were holding more than 60 percent of the chips between them, meaning that everyone else was basically short-stacked. I was the second chip leader, so common wisdom would suggest that I should wait for the others to bust out and avoid any confrontations with the chip leader.

"So, what did I do? I decided to get involved in a massive pot with the big stack! I had raised the big blind, Adam Robak, with a mere 7 4. He then called me with the Q 10, and with a flop of K-9-8 and two hearts, he had flopped both a flush and a straight draw; in fact, the J would have given him a straight flush. He checked, I bet, and when he check-raised me, I reraised him to 150,000 - which was more than the total amount of chips that the number three player in the event had. He called my reraise. On the turn, the top card on the board paired, putting two kings on the table. He checked. I then bet a very small amount, 70,000, to convince him that I was already full and was actually hoping to get called. By making this creative play, I succeeded in making him fold both the best hand and the best draw, and I stole no less than 35 percent of the total chips in play - while holding absolutely nothing! So, I guess this is probably the hand that I am most proud of, because it resembles what I think are my true strengths: the fact that I am fearless, that I am willing to go against conventional wisdom, and that I am able to make money with cards that most people wouldn't dream of playing.

"Still, ever since I met Cecilia, I have definitely calmed down, and what she is saying is true: I have become more disciplined. Now that she's around, I feel like I'm on top of the world. You ask what my goal is? I'll tell you: It is to win the World Series, not once, but three years in a row. Of course, I know that I will never make it, but that won't stop me from trying. I am someone who likes to take chances. Because I often play in games that are way too big for my bankroll, I have been broke or almost broke on quite a few occasions. But that doesn't worry me, as I have enough friends who are willing to stake me if I lose my money again. They know that I have the ability and the imagination to play at the highest possible level, and ever since I met Cecilia, I may even have that little bit of discipline, as well, to back this up successfully."

Alexander Stevic (29) was the winner of the first-ever EPT event in Barcelona, and he took third place at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. His girlfriend, Cecilia Nordenstam (25), is from Gothenburg. Not only has Cecilia been voted the "hottest female poker player" on many sites in both Europe and the United States, she has made quite an impression with her poker, as well, holding her own in some of the biggest tournaments in the world. Cecilia and Alex have been together for two years.