Serinda Swan - Absolute Poker Spokesmodel

An up-close look at Serinda Swan, an Absolute knockout among poker spokesmodels.

WHEN SERINDA SWAN’S THEN-BOYFRIEND opened up an account with Absolute Poker in 2006, and Serinda started playing alongside him and getting hooked on Texas Hold ’Em, she had no idea how perfect her timing was. Just a couple of months later, Absolute began auditioning for a spokesmodel, and Serinda had a leg up on the competition because she actually knew a thing or two about online poker.

“At the audition, they were putting in some poker terminology to test people, like ‘You can satellite in for only two dollars’,” she recalled. “And I remember sitting out in the hallway and listening to a couple of girls being like, ‘I don’t get it, why do we need satellites?’ Honestly, that’s a very common thing to say; if you don’t know about poker, the first thing you’re going to think about is the satellites in the sky. But still, I knew I had a huge advantage. My knowledge of poker gave me confidence. Whenever you go into a room of people who all know a certain subject and you’re pretending that you do, your confidence level will never be as high as it should.”

Serinda nailed the audition and became “the Absolute Poker girl,” adding that to a resume that also includes appearances in movies such as Loch Ness and TV series such as Exes And Ohs. She’s also since gone on to become a Guess jeans model—and a respectable poker player who has her very own $1/$2 No-Limit table every Sunday from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Eastern time at Absolute.

But before you try to take her money, maybe you should learn a little more about her …

How has your game advanced since getting the job with Absolute?
Well, on The Best Damn Poker Show, they showed all of my terrible hands. I was so upset, I got so many MySpace messages, saying, “At least you’re pretty, because you can’t play.” But in general, I’ve gotten my game up pretty well. There’s a difference between being able to play poker and being able to play poker very well. I can play poker. I’m learning the tricks. When I first started, my strategy was limited to “best hand wins,” and I’ve since learned about pot odds and continuation bets, things like that. So I’m starting to apply basic theory to my play.

Do you typically play cash games or tournaments?
I’m better at cash games. It’s instant gratification. When I win a pot, I win a pot, I can leave. I like that a little bit better. But I’m trying to work on my tournament game right now, but I’m not really aggressive with blinds, so I’ve had to learn how to not get blinded out and how to be more aggressive when the blinds go up. In cash games, you can take your time. You don’t have to play a bad hand just because the clock’s ticking.

Do you play live also?
I play online mostly, but I’m in Vegas a lot, so I do tend to play when I’m there. Also, there’s a good poker scene here in Vancouver. I get together with friends and have little home games. And there are a few good casinos near here too, so I take my stepmother, we take a couple hundred dollars down and just go play.

How long have you been modeling?
I started modeling when I was 14. I stayed on that route until I was 18, when I quit, I just kind of got out of the industry. I felt like it was a little too focused on looks and weight and all that fun stuff, so I just figured I should probably go through the next year or two of my life without a weight constraint on me. I decided I was just going to take some time off, and if in a year or so I still fit for modeling, after I found out how I’m naturally going to develop, then awesome. And if not, I’d go do something else. And during that time, I actually got into acting, and I’ve done a few movies and television shows. But lately, it’s taken a turn back to modeling, including signing on with Guess as one of their models. It’s an interesting dynamic right now; I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, whether it’s modeling or acting or hosting, or if I can combine all of those together.

You recently started blogging. How are you finding that to be?
It’s interesting. I’ve never blogged before, but Absolute Poker wanted me to. It’s fun, it’s a great way of just letting loose and talking about your life and letting people get an insight into what I’m doing and what’s going on. It’s just a way for people to get to know me a bit better.

Do you find blogging therapeutic?
Absolutely, you just can let go. A lot of the time, Absolute wants me to write about poker, but most people are coming on my blog just to read about my life and what’s going on; if you want a real poker blog, you’re going to go to Phil Hellmuth or Annie Duke or Mark Seif. You’re not going to go to someone who’s like, “So I was on a $1/$2 table last night, and my pot was $75 and I took it down.” Obviously it’s a little more exciting when it’s higher denominations. But I find it really therapeutic, I can get things off my chest.

What hobbies do you have outside of poker?
Well, I’m extremely active. I have a dog that I take hiking and on runs, and he’s got all his buddies that he goes and plays with. My life very much revolves around my dog, Buddha. But apart from that, I recently started pole dancing classes, which are unbelievable, it’s aerobic, I go to this great place here in Vancouver. You learn how to pole dance, it’s a great workout, but there’s no stripping involved. Guys are like, “Oh, really, how interesting,” thinking that I’m training to be a stripper. I’m like, “No, no, no, hold on.” It’s just a really fun, liberating way to work out, and sometimes I go for three hours, and you’re having so much fun you don’t even notice how hard you’re working out, and then you wake up the next morning and you can’t move!

What qualities do you look for in a man?
I love a funny guy, a guy who can make me laugh, who doesn’t take life too seriously, who is an intellectual—I’m all about the brains. And tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t hurt.

GET TO KNOW … SERINDA SWAN

Age: 23
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 125
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Pets: Buddha, a French bulldog
Favorite Poker Pros: Phil Hellmuth (“I’ve been working closely with him lately, and he’s such a great guy all-around”), Daniel Negreanu (“Because he’s Canadian like I am”), Phil Ivey (“I just think he’s an awesome player”)