Female Poker Player

Cyndy Violette was born in Queens, New York on August 19, 1959.  Growing up, she played a lot of poker with many of her adult family members, although she didn’t actually test her skills in a casino until she was an adult herself.  Her family moved to Las Vegas when Cyndy was twelve years old, where she eventually worked for a while as a blackjack and poker dealer.

In 1984, she entered and won a poker tournament in Lake Tahoe and used that money to bankroll her professional poker career.  A short while later, she won $74,000 in a seven-card stud tournament at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.  At the time, this was the largest prize every won by a female poker player.  Later that year, she met and married her second husband, leaving the poker world on a two-year hiatus.

In 1990, Cyndy felt herself called back to the sport of poker when, on a trip to Caesar’s Palace, she entered and won $62,000.  After the tournament, she realized that poker was her true passion, and began entering and winning professional tournaments again.  Although she was still living in Washington State at this time, she spent much of her time traveling back and forth between Las Vegas and Los Angeles to play poker.

In 1993, following her divorce from her second husband, she learned that Atlantic City had legalized poker and decided to set up a home there, in part to be closer to her East Coast roots.  She played the poker circuit there for several years, including several stints on the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.

In 2004, Cyndy completed a major goal of hers when she won a bracelet at the 2004 World Series of Poker, playing in the seven card stud high-low split tournament.  Cyndy was in good company – there were actually three women who won a gold bracelet that year.  The other two female poker players to earn this achievement were Annie Duke and Kathy Liebert.

Today, Cyndy is a member of the Doyle’s Room poker site, and she still competes regularly in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  In fact, her total winnings up to 2008 are over $1.2 million dollars.  Her success has lead to appearances on “The Superstars of Poker” on Fox Sports Net, “Poker Royale Pro/Celebrity Tournament” on the Game Show Network, and the World Series of Poker Tournament on ESPN.

On a more personal note, Cyndy is a very health conscious person.  She is vegetarian who works out regularly and enjoys exploring the spiritual side of life.  In fact, it’s nothing to see her sitting at a poker table with her spirit stones and dish of homemade veggie food in front of her.  In the future, Cyndy’s plans include opening a health food café and marketing her own line of poker products.  Cyndy is known for her pleasant personality, as well as her beautiful looks – she has a constant smile on her face and truly enjoys life and a good game of poker.

Poker has traditionally been a man’s game, but recently there have been several women who have taken the game by storm – and won big.  Cycalona Gowen – more commonly known as “Clonie” – is one of these talented female poker players who serves as a role model for other young women who are interested in the game.

Cycalona Gowen was born November 6, 1971 in Florida.  Early on, her family moved and spent most of her childhood in Kiowa, Oklahoma.  In her teenage years, she was crowned Miss Teen McAlester, but quickly found her interests being diverted by another sport.  At the tender, young age of fifteen, her boyfriend taught her how to play poker.  When she was just eighteen, she moved to Las Vegas and began to play blackjack.  She didn’t even know the casinos had poker tables at the time!

Once she found the poker tables, she spent the next several years playing, watching, and learning poker rules.  There were hard times – as there are for every player.  Ms. Gowen, however, honed her poker skills and began to win games and earn money.

In 2003, Cycalona Gowen won the first World Poker Tour Ladies’ Night Event.  The year before, she also placed tenth in the World Poker Tour Costa Rica Classic.  Just two years later, she took third place in the Las Vegas Full Tilt Poker Championship and fourth in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic.  She is also one of only two players to win three Poker After Dark Titles.  The other player is Johnny Chan.  Through these and other tournaments, Clonie has boosted her lifetime live tournament winnings total to $1.5 million dollars.

Because of her success as a female poker player, Clonie has been featured on Good Morning America and has also worked as a commentator for the European World Poker Championship and the Ultimate Poker Challenge.  However, playing poker and emcee-ing events aren’t the only things that keep her busy – this beautiful woman can also be found as an instructor for the World Series of Poker Boot Camp.

Clonie was a member of “Team Full Tilt” at the online poker site, Full Tilt Poker.  However in November 2008, she filed a lawsuit against Tiltware, LLC for breach of contract and other issues.  She is currently seeking damages of $40 million.

Clonie Gowen still plays in a lot of cash money poker games – after all, she says she still has to make a living.  But with her guest appearances, speaking engagements, and her work as a columnist for All In Magazine, it’s amazing she has anytime to play at all!  To top off her busy schedule, she’s also appeared on the cover the New York Times and Esquire Magazine.

Currently, Clonie lives in Dallas and is the mother of two beautiful children.  She has also owned a travel agency at one time, but now plays poker full time.  She also enjoys spending time scuba diving when she can find a spare minute.