Swedish Poker Player Convicted of Drug Crime

Yes, this is a Swedish prison cell.

A poker player from Sweden well-known to players on the European Poker Tour for his inability to cash in major tournaments and his propensity for cheating other players is heading to jail for drug crimes.

Robert Andersson, 22, was sentenced yesterday to eight years in jail for importing methedrone into Sweden from the United Kingdom. The drug, which is described as being similar to MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamines, has been outlawed in both countries for several years; the penalties in Sweden for importing and selling it are similar to to the penalties for importing and selling heroin. 

Andersson has toured the EPT circuit for several years but has never managed to cash in an EPT event. He first became known to the wider poker community in 2008 when an American poker player posted on 2+2 the tale of how Andersson had cheated him out of $30,000, which he called his entire “life roll.” It’s a lengthy read – one of the longest single posts we’ve ever seen on that forum – but worth skimming to get some background on Andersson’s character.

Once you know a little bit more about him it will come as no surprise that he was put away based on the testimony of his friends. No drugs were actually found on Andersson when the police busted him, but they had so much evidence of his crimes based on the word of the other people involved in the case that they were able to convict him. Given how posh Swedish prison cells are, though, and how prevalent poker games are in prison, the eight-year sentence shouldn’t be too harsh for a hustler like Andersson.