Defining Moments in her Career
Clonie’s first brush with poker was when her boyfriend invited her to his place to play poker within his family members. There she learnt to play 7-Card Stud and Hold’em. After that the idea of going to Las Vegas and betting some small money looked very tempting to her. By the time she attained her legal age for gambling, she’s mentally prepared to give it a try. The following week, she went to Las Vegas and bought in for $40 in a 7-Card Stud game with a 10 cent ante. Although result-wise, she didn’t gain anything, but she was hooked to the Poker World forever.
Taking poker as a profession, however, was delayed as she toyed with the idea of having her own travel company. In the coming months that followed, she kept herself extremely busy by successfully opening and operating her Tour and Travel Agency.
On top of the Poker World
In the year 2002, when Clonie was vacationing in Costa Rica, she came to know about the World Poker Tour Event, which was being held there. A known scuba diver, Clonie finished a decent 10th in this event beating against all odds.
It was to her own advantage that some very top level professional poker players didn’t take her very seriously at that time, and Clonie proved her worth in gold. Next year, after she won an invitation to the WPT Ladies' Night, she won it straight away beating the likes of Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, and Kathy Liebert. This not only established herself on the poker circuit, but also helped her earn some cool money in the process.
For Clonie, it is her confidence level that is her main strength. She is a hard believer in her abilities right from her college days. She has been a starter in the basketball game when she was in the 9th standard in her varsity team.
She believes that it is all about practicing the game again and again, as it is always a new learning every time. Apart from that, it is a sense of competitiveness and her eagerness to win, which prevails in all her professional commitments.
As an elitist member of Full Tilt Club, she shares the podium with very respectable players like Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer. One can find her articles in the Bluff Magazine, as she is a regular columnist with them. She’s also known to assist United States Poker Association (USPA) with her knowledge.
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