Clonie Gowen - Female Poker Superstar

By PokerListings.com Jun 8, 2005 | 4 years ago

Clonie Gowen smiling for the camera despite an early exit from the WSOP 2005 No Limit Hold'em with rebyus.

Clonie Gowen became a poker celebrity in 2003 when she won the World Poker Tour Ladies Night Event which, at the time, was the highest rated WPT show ever broadcast.

You got knocked out early in today's event (No-Limit Hold'em with re-buys), what went wrong?

I built up an extremely tight table image for myself but wasn't able to take advantage of it. I only played three hands and pretty much blinded myself out. That's not the way you want go out.

What is your schedule looking like for the rest of the World Series of Poker?

I'm going to play in 18 events. Basically, I'm building myself up for the main event. I'm going to win it this year so the rest of the field better look out (laughs).

Cash games or tournaments?

I do play a lot of tournaments but cash games are what poker players make a living off of, unless you're fortunate enough to win a really big tournament. I plan on playing a lot of cash games during the World Series of Poker this year.

What is your poker background?

I started playing poker at age 15. My boyfriend and I used to play a lot of poker with his family. When I was 18 I came here to Las Vegas to play some black jack, I actually didn't know that you could play poker at the casinos, but I ended up playing poker instead and became hooked. I had a bumpy learning curve for the next couple of years, using my time to really observe the play of my more experienced opponents, what hands they played and from what positions.

Where is your favorite place to play poker?

I like the Bellagio and I love Tunica. Tunica is really the best place for Pot-Limit Omaha, my favorite game right now.

What do you do outside of poker?

I have a 12-year old girl and a 3-year old boy and naturally they take up a lot of my time. I also write for Bluff Magazine and I'm working on a book coming out in the spring of 2006. It's an instructional book on poker for women. Even though the basics of the game are the same for both men and women, I believe that we view the game very differently.

How has the recent surge in popularity of poker affected you?

It has changed my life. At age 33 I never thought that I would be on TV almost every day and get the chance to write a book about poker.