| Clonie Gowen | Menu |  Name: Clonie Gowen Date of Birth: unknown Place of Birth: Oklahoma Profile
It’s no understatement to say that Cycalona “Clonie” Gowen (thus named because she was born during rough weather) has taken the poker world by storm. In 2002, while on a scuba diving vacation in Costa Rica, the then amateur poker player entered a World Poker Tour season one tournament for $500 and starting swimming with another kind of shark altogether. No one knew her or paid her the slightest attention. But she placed tenth, in the money, just a few seats away from the final table. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know who the beautiful blond stranger was. The impressive finish in Costa Rica earned Gowen a seat in the WPT’s “Ladies Night” tournament. When the show aired nationally on the Travel Channel in December 2003 and Gowen triumphed over far more decorated poker players like Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman and Kathy Liebert, she became an instant celebrity.Gowen was born in 1971 in Oklahoma. As a teenager, she moved to Corsicana, Texas and put herself through high school by waiting tables at the Waffle House and Sizzler. Gowen’s competitive nature found an outlet in sports, and she excelled as a member of the varsity basketball team. When her boyfriend’s father introduced her to poker, she picked up the cards and was off and running as if she were on the basketball court.In 1995, Gowen, now living in Dallas with a daughter from her first marriage, met her current husband David while out on a date with “someone famous” whose name she will not reveal. Soon thereafter, she opened her own travel agency which quickly expanded to two locations. All the while, Gowen kept playingpoker on the side at least once a week in home games and underground games all over Dallas. She became better and better at the game, learning to read other players’ and use her intuition to advantage.After her Costa Rica breakthrough, Gowen sold her travel agency, gave birth to a son, and finally turned her passion for poker into her job. Since her WPT “Ladies Night” debut, she has been hailed as the new face of poker, with many players calling her “good for the sport.” Poker legend and fellow Texas T.J. Cloutier cites her cover-girl looks, but also concedes that “she plays pretty damn good.”
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