Tatjana Pasalic: Flirting Should Be Left Outside the Ropes

Tatjana Pasalic may very well be perfect. She's beautiful, she plays poker, she hosts poker television shows and she cooks. She was also kind enough to extend PokerStrategy.com some of her time for an interview.

The lovely Tatjana at a poker table

Tatjana Pasalic is a Croatian poker host and player. She doesn't call herself a model, but on that point we are just going to have to disagree.

She was recently made a member of Team Bodog and will be playing the World Series of Poker Main Event for the first time this summer.

Tatjana graciously took some time out of her schedule to answer some questions we had for her. Here is the complete interview, followed by plenty of pictures - we promise!

Making her way into the poker scene

PokerStrategy.com: First of all, can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into poker?

Tatjana Pasalic: I am, as you know, a poker TV and web host. Before I got into poker I used to teach English in Croatia and worked in Siemens as a team building organiser.

I got interested in poker when I first attended the WSOP six years ago and fell in love with the sound of chips shuffling.

Since then I started working in poker as a marketing manager, but I always knew I wanted more out of it than sitting in the office. Eventually I became a blogger and started following the tour. EPT was my first tour I reported from.

One day I got offered a TV hosting gig. I started panicking and thinking I couldn't do it, but I was lucky enough to have some good mentors and an amazing role model, Kara Scott, so I think I managed pretty well.

I invest a lot in myself - I take speech coaching, go to BBC studios for one-on-one hosting tutorials and watch tons and tons of poker TV.

Beauty on the outside... and the inside

Not a model?

PokerStrategy.com: You have many talents and can accurately be described as a poker player, reporter, writer, and model - which of those roles do you like the most? The least?

Tatjana Pasalic: Oh I wouldn't call myself a model. I am a host, poker player, writer and a traveller. Less of a writer recently and more traveller but hey, that's not bad at all!

I love every role I have in my life. Being in front of the camera is amazing - it lets me be who ever I want. It is like acting but it also allows me to deliver information and be the link in between the viewers and poker players/celebrities which is amazing.

Poker player - I just started taking my poker playing more seriously and am going through intense lessons, so I am finally starting to realise how much sacrifice one has to make to be successful.

The traveller part I love a lot because every week I am at a different location and I get to meet new cultures, new people and new recipes, yay!

I speak a few languages so I enjoy going places and trying to discover them from a local point of view and not just a touristy one, but there are so many things I want to explore - learning how to make sushi in Japan, visiting lion sanctuaries in Africa, hiking in Colorado... BUT, I think one of my favourite roles is being a friend.

I am blessed with some amazing people in my life that have made me who I am today and I love spending time with them, whether on Skype or in real life, talking and catching up. I love to see people smile and I try to do whatever I can to make them happy.

Ready to hit the tables

Tatjana in her Bodog gear

PokerStrategy.com: Bodog Poker recently made you the newest member of Team Bodog. How did that relationship begin, and how much of an active role do you plan on taking in representing Bodog?

Tatjana Pasalic: We started talking in January straight after I signed with Poker Royalty. My agent, Jim Erwood, did an amazing job and before I knew it, we were signing a contract. I could not be happier with the way they treat me - pure princess treatment.

I get all the freedom I want but still receive all the guidance and there is a huge team behind us representatives that makes sure we are all on the same page and content. I am really really proud to be carrying the Bodog patch when I leave the house. 

PokerStrategy.com: With the new sponsorship, should we expect to see you playing in more tournaments in the future?

Tatjana Pasalic: YES! I am playing the ME this year and am sooooo excited I cannot describe it with words. I have had some intense preparations and am taking my notepad with me.

I am going to be reporting a lot this year but am aiming to play some Asian Tours and maybe drop by Latin America at some point. Poker and sightseeing - what can be better?

PokerStrategy.com: Do you ever use your looks to your advantage at the poker tables, and if so, how?

Tatjana Pasalic: Of course not! When I am at the poker table, it is fair play - I am always myself. I am very chatty and I ask questions if I see people interested in talking. If not, I put my headphones on and listen to music. Flirting is something that should be left for outside of the ropes. 
 

If Tatjana was a cartoon...

Tatjana on The Micros

PokerStrategy.com: You've been featured on the popular animated series 'The Micros.' How did that happen, and will you be on again in the future?

Tatjana Pasalic: I am so proud of my relationship with the Micros. Jay & John called me early on and asked if I would do a one time cameo. I was so excited because just reading the scripts I knew how cool the episodes were going to be.

Then even before my episode aired, Jay told me that my character was going to be a recurring role. Needless to say I completely flipped out. I mean how sweet is it to be a real life cartoon?

Even now I am surprised at how many people know me from the Micros only. I am very appreciative of everything the show has done for me including naming me as a permanent cast member, because at my core I am just like Chase, Tommy and Rose... just another donk stuck in the Micros.

The perfect woman?

PokerStrategy.com: As if you weren't already the perfect woman, your Wikipedia page says you're quite the cook. What kind of cooking do you like to do?

Tatjana Pasalic: Oh I adore cooking - just let me near a kitchen and I will entertain myself all day! I love cooking for people, organising dinner parties, I participated in many cooking shows and if I was not in poker, I would definitely be working in a restaurant.

I always imagined that I would have a big family one day and make big Christmas dinners that take days to prepare. Cooking is very relaxing and if done in two can also be very sensual. There is nothing sexier than a man that enjoys my food.

PokerStrategy.com: We'll be ending this PokerStrategy feature with some pictures of you. Have any favourites you'd especially like to see posted?

Tatjana Pasalic: I, of course, love the covers I have done (otherwise I wouldn't have shot them), but I am a huge fan of my vacation pictures with friends and family. I have about 20,000 pictures in my computer and am a huge camera addict.

When I am lonely or on a long haul flight, I pull my galleries up and live through all the memories I have made over the past years. Pictures are amazing and when I have my own home, I will print out so many from different places and put them all over the house to remind myself of how good life is when one smiles and enjoys themselves. 

PokerStrategy.com: Thanks so much for your time, and good luck at the WSOP!

As promised, here are some pictures, starting with this month's WPT Magazine cover:

by Matt Kaufman