Clonie Gowan

Cycalona a.k.a. Clonie Gowan is an American professional poker player and former Miss Teen Oklahoma. Born in Florida during a heavy storm (hence the first name), Clonie did much of her schooling in Kiowa, Oklahoma. She was an accomplished basketball player during her school days. She stays at Dallas currently and it was here that she made her poker debut at the age of 15 in 1986. She took to poker so well after a chance encounter with the game that it is said that she would drive down to Louisiana every weekend from her hometown Dallas to engage in a game of poker. Clonie has two children and before embarking on a professional poker career owned and managed her own travel agency.

Her first World Poker Tour was in 2002 with the Costa Rica Classic Event where she did much better than expectations; Clonie had a top ten finish at the event. The following year saw her emerge victorious in the WPT Ladies Night event. Clonie’s biggest winning came in the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic which was held in Las Vegas in 2008. She finished in the money at the tenth position and took home more than $86,000 in winnings. Even though she is yet to land herself a coveted bracelet at any of the WSOP events, Clonie has finished nine times in the money during the WSOP. She has finished five times in the money during various World Poker Tour events. Clonie was featured in NBC’s hit television series ‘Poker after Dark’ where she secured the first position thrice, taking home a total winnings of $120,000. Clonie has made more than $2.2 million from more than 35 tournaments. She is ranked 3870 in the Pro League 1 group.

Clonie is known to be extremely competitive at the poker table. Her individual playing style is full of spunk and logical application. She is also active outside the poker table, participating in several online forums and discussions. She regularly interacts with other members of the poker community offering tips and advice to them. Clonie uses her own personal website to reach out to the poker community and also blogs about her experiences on the road here. Clonie was featured as a guest commentator in both the Ultimate Poker Challenge and the European World Poker Championship. She is known for her striking good looks that often put her in the spotlight and she is reputed to be one of the most recognized poker players of her time.

Clonie was also briefly involved with Full Tilt Poker where she was part of the expert panel. Clonie parted ways with Full Tilt Poker after differences arose with respect to her payment schedule. Clonie claimed that the website had assured her 1% of the company or approximately $40 million. A bitter lawsuit ensued but Full Tilt got the better end of the deal because not much of the alleged deal was put down in legal documentation. Other than poker, Clonie is known to be an avid scuba diver and hiking enthusiast. She counts players like Barry Greenstein, Gabe Thaler, Michael Binger and Lee Markholt as among the poker players she respects the most.