Strong winds and a competitive spirit have taken Clonie Gowen from the basketball gymnasiums of Oklahoma to the poker tables of Shreveport, Costa Rica and Las Vegas. Today the beauty queen mother of two children is a glowing poker icon.

Clonie Gowen's full first name is actually Cyclona. Her name stems from the tropical storm which reigned on her hometown the night she was born. Running like the wind proved useful in her athletic childhood. In track and field she ranked seventh in the high jump. She was also on the state championship basketball team. Her good looks helped her get crowned Miss Teen McAlester, Oklahoma.

She started playing poker first after she moved to Dallas, where she still lives. Though she had learned the basics as a teenager by her boyfriend’s father, it was not until after her first divorce that she gave it a real shot. On weekends when her daughter was with her father the then 23 year old Gowen would go on poker trips. The trips all had one common destination, Shreveport La which was only a two hour drive away. It did not take long before she was earning $500 a weekend. While her game and her winnings got better thoughts about a life as a poker professional grew gradually. Still it did not seem as a viable option. Poker was not as popular and mainstream back then. Telling her friends everything about her winnings or thought on professionalism was not quite socially acceptable. A few years ago enough water had passed under the bridge. The money had gotten more stable and she decided to give up on her travel agency and become a full time poker professional.

Gowen's first big tournament success came at the 2002 Costa Rica Classic World Poker Tour event where she finished 10th. This result gave her an invitational ticket to the 2003 World Poker Tour Ladies' night. She won this event in front of millions of TV-viewers, battling it out with top names like Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman. Ever since, her star has climbed. Clonie appeared in a segment on Good Morning America She has been featured in the New York Times and Esquire as well as local Texas Monthly and Dallas Observer. She is also writing herself with regular columns in Bluff magazine.

There is a lot more to Clonie Gowen. Amongst others she sits on the board of directors for the United States Poker Association which is a non-profit association with a strong influence in the world of poker. She enjoys other aspects of poker than just playing. She is a member of Team Full Tilt. It is not surprising Clonie Gowen is part of a poker room that was founded by professional players to give regular people a chance to play against the big stars. Online at Full Tilt Poker Gowen plays regular tables at mid stakes levels. She chats, tips, and teaches amateur players together with other notable member of Team Full Tilt such as Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Phil Gordon.

The teacher role is something Clonie Gowen assumes as often as she has the time. A poker school is off the ground helping women – and men – with the basics of tournament play and how to be successful in a competitive game when your own money is on the line. So is a poker book entitled “Good Girls Do Make the Final Table”. Slanderers and backbiters impudently express the Clonie Gowen star only shines because of her personality and beauty queen looks and not on the basis of her poker track record. It is true that her tournament results alone do not explain the fame. Gowen herself is content being an intermediate level pro still mastering the game; all whilst she says never forgetting she is “the greatest player in the world”. This is the kind of mix of self- insight and confidence you need when you are attending just about every major poker tournament held throughout the States – either as a regular player or as the commentator sometimes also the host.