Poker Player Profile – Poker Player Clonie Gowen

Cycalona (Clonie) Gowen has taken the world by storm since her spectacular poker play at the 2003 World Poker Tour.

Background of Clonie Gowen

Clonie Gowen was born Cycalona Gowen in November 1971 in Florida. She was born during a raging storm, which inspired her first name. Gowen grew up in Kiowa, Oklahoma. At the age of 15, Gowen won the Miss Teen McAlester, Oklahoma title. She has two children and used to own a travel agency before she began to play poker full time. Gowen is now an American professional poker player who is based in Dallas, Texas.

The Early Poker Career of Clonie Gowen

While living in Dallas in 1986, her boyfriend's father introduced her to poker and she quickly took to the game. Gowen spent a lot of time practicing her game at a casino in Shreveport, Louisiana where she often cleaned up the tables.

Poker Successes for Clonie Gowen

Gowen made herself famous in 2003 when she finished in the Top 10 of the World Poker Tour Costa Rica Classic. She then won the WPT Ladies' Night event in the same year. Gowen participated in the 2005 World Series of Poker where she finished 459th, which was disappointing for her, but did win her some money in the $10,000 main event. She finished 31st in the WPT event at the Boragat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. She placed 7th in the Ultimate Poker Challenge and 3rd in the FullTiltPoker.net Championship at Wynn Casino. Gowen is one of two players to win three NBC Television Program "Poker After Dark" titles.

Clonie Gowen and Full Tilt Poker

Gowen was a member of Team Full Tilt, the professional poker team at the online poker site, Full Tilt Poker. However, she made headlines when she filed a lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker and various companies associated with them. One of the biggest companies that the lawsuit targets is Tiltware LLC, the software company that is associated with Full Tilt. Gowen is suing for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, among other things. Gowen claims that when she became involved with Full Tilt Poker in 2004, she was offered a 1% stake in the company. She accepted the offer and began to work for and promote Full Tilt Poker. In 2007, Gowen claims that all of the members of Team Full Tilt Poker were given their distribution checks, except for her. She claims that Full Tilt Poker is worth a total of $4 billion and therefore her 1% share should have been $40 million. She is seeking damages of $40 million in the suit, "Gowen vs Tiltware LLC et al."

Current Stats for Clonie Gowen

As of 2008, Gowen has amassed total live earnings of more than $1.5 million. Besides for playing poker, Gowen has appeared as a guest commentator for the 888.com Women's Poker UK Open, the Gaming Club World Poker Championship and the Ultimate Poker Challenge. She often hosts tournaments and charity events and is a frequent columnist for All In Magazine and Bluff Magazine. She also provides advice to the United States Poker Association (USPA) as a member of the board of directors.