As the most experienced player on the list, Cycalona “Clonie” Gowen was helping to legitimize females in casino poker long before the poker explosion. With almost two dozen live tournament cashes under her belt, the former beauty pageant winner is one of the most recognizable faces in the poker world, regardless of gender. 
Cyclona “Clonie” Gowen grew up in Kiowa, Oklahoma. She was a high school jock, as she was on a state championship basketball team and was ranked 7th in the high jump. Clonie proved she had the whole package, beauty, brains, and athletics, by winning Miss Teen Oklahoma at the age of 15.
Clonie is a relative newcomer to poker. She entered the poker scene by winning the $25,000 Belagio WPT Championship seat at the World Poker Tour Costa Rica Classic, where she had a Top 10 finish. Gowen recently won the 2003 WPT Ladies’ Night. Gowen’s success goes beyond the poker table since she is a spokesperson and advisor for an online casino poker gaming site and writes a column for a poker magazine. Clonie, a mother of two, lives in Dallas, Texas and enjoys mountain biking, and scuba diving.
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