Clonie Gowen Appears in Maxim Magazine

FullTiltPoker.com's "Team Full Tilt" includes Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, and Erik Seidel, among other greats, and although these guys are considered some of the greatest contemporary poker players, none of them would look good in a bikini.

Clonie Gowen, however, is the exception, and poker fans everywhere can see much of the natural blonde beauty in the most recent edition of Maxim Magazine, which is now on magazine racks everywhere. She's the cover girl of Maxim's July edition, which features a guide to this year's World Series of Poker. She's also the subject of a two-page spread in the magazine known for putting some of the biggest names in babedom on its pages.

Gowen's no slouch at the poker table, either, which she proved by winning the World Poker Tour Ladies' Night event in 2003.

"I've been asked to do this sort of thing before," says Gowan, "but the last offer was from Playboy. And though my sister and mother were all for it, I reviewed the terms and thought it best I keep my clothes on," Gowen said. "Maxim had someone for everything. There was a hair stylist, make-up artist, wardrobe technician, dozens of assistants, and when my nerves started to get the best of me, they had a bartender on staff pouring me a cocktail."

Gowen, whose real name is Cycalona because she was born during a cyclone, has been making her rounds recently. She just appeared on FSN's Best Damn Sports Show Period, where she challenged Paris Hilton to a tournament in which the winner will receive $100,000 (put up by FullTiltPoker.com) to award to the charity of her choice.

"Paris seems to be a great girl, however, she represents everything that I am not, but now that she has stepped into my world (the poker world) I challenge her to put her poker skills to work for charity; $100,000 will go a long way to helping those in need. Paris, are you in?" Gowen said.

Gowen's appearance in Maxim Magazine is just another example of poker penetrating mainstream media. USA Today ran a story about this year's WSOP today (focusing on Jeffrey Pollack, the WSOP's commissioner), and newspapers everywhere have run stories about the government's efforts to ban online poker as well as advice columns from some of world's top players.

CardPlayer.com's Lisa Wheeler contributed to this article.

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