Unofficial site about Clonie Gowen

• Clonie Gowen was born on November 30th, 1971 in Florida.
• Her real name is Cyclona.
• Clonie is married and has two children Morgan and Seth.
• She lives with her family in Dallas, Texas

Clonie was the All-American girl growing up. She grew up in Oklahoma and is the youngest of six children, two boys and three girls. All of the Gowen kids were encouraged to be fit and active and Clonie Gowen became a star all-round athlete at school. After playing state championship basketball and succeeding at high jump as part of the track team, she put her good look to use in a completely different field. At 15, she came first in beauty pageant miss Teen McAlester Oklahoma.

Gowen was introduced to poker much later than some of her competitors and didn’t learn how to play the game until she was a teenager, when her then boyfriend’s father showed her the ropes. Her family had by this time moved to Dallas, Texas and as Gowen was already a competitive spirit, she began making the weekend trip to Los Angeles and back each weekend. During this time she owned her own travel agency but when poker her winnings began earning her a few hundred dollars every weekend, she took another gamble and decided to turn professional.

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After some early successes she took a scuba diving holiday in Costa Rica in 2002. While she was there she decided to enter the World Poker Tour Costa Rica Classic. She remembers a lot of blonde jokes and other taunting, but had the last laugh when she placed tenth and was invited to participate in the World Poker Tour ladies Night Event in 2003. At the time this was the highest-rated poker show and she beat a strong field of playing including the legendary Annie Duke. The show was watched by millions of people and Clonie Gowen established herself as both a respectable poker player and a celebrity.

Her luck with televised games continued in 2005 when she placed seventh in the $2,000 No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Ultimate Poker Challenge tournament and took out a third placing in the FullTiltPoker.net Championship.

With two appearances on Poker After Dark netting her over a hundred thousand dollars for each appearance, it would seem that the camera is as lucrative for Clonie Gowen as it is kind. She is not always kind in return though and has built a reputation as a formidable player. Female professional poker players are still uncommon on the circuit and her playing skills often take competitors by surprise, sometimes to the point of pure aggression. “I was playing in Shreveport LA, and I hit a straight flush on this guy on the river. He gets up and kicked me. It wasn't a joke, he seriously kicked me. About 9 guys jump up and deck this guy. The casino threw him out. He got the last kick, but I got the last word and a bruise.” Her gender has given her some advantages though and she has even written a book on the subject of women in poker as well as a section in ‘The Poker Aficionado’ on being a woman competing in the world of high-stakes poker.

Her poker winnings are more than a million dollars but like most good players she uses her status to earn her far more away from the table. Gowen began to play online exclusively with Full Tilt poker together with stars such as Andy Bloch and Allen Cunningham and she often sits at mid-stakes tables to give amateur players a run for their money. Her tables are always popular, with long queues and she is a chatty and friendly player, giving many tips and hints to those she is playing against.

Gowen writes for Bluff Magazine as a regular columnist and also works with the United States Poker Association. Her writing career has not been without stumbles though. She has been accused of plagiarism when writing for a Full Tilt Tips email when she copied a full paragraph from and article on re-buying by Josh Supsak. She wrote an open letter of apology (which was her own work we hope) that was posted on Pocket Fives, the original publisher of Supsak’s article. Although she employs editors and ghost writers she took full responsibility for the plagiarism.

Clonie Gowen is considered by many to be the pin-up girl of poker and is partially responsible for the resurgence of Texas Hold ‘Em’s popularity among women. She has appeared in the New York Times, the Dallas Observer, Texas Monthly and Esquire magazine.

She spends a great deal of time with her family and often prefers to play online or for local cash games than in big tournaments. This keeps her rankings low but don’t be fooled, Clonie Gowen is a versatile achiever who is one to watch.

• Clonie was named Cyclona by her parents because she was born during a storm.