Understanding Poker Hotties

In this series of poker pro profiles, we've stuck to breaking down the background, style, and mindset of individual players. We are supposing that our male readers will not mind if we break from this pattern a bit to lump several of poker's babes into one profile. Just think of it as a heterosexual male's dream poker table - Erica Shoenberg, Clonie Gowen, Shannon Elizabeth, and Jennifer Tilly. Well, perhaps that would be a dream table to watch - but it would be a nightmare to play at that table. As you will read, this tandem of poker beauties will take any man's chips as fast as they could steal their heart.

I pushed my way through the crowds at the World Series of Poker. I used my press pass to duck beneath the ropes that held back the onlookers and fans. Around one particular table I noticed a gaggle of photographers snapping rolls and rolls of pictures. I scooted in that direction, expecting to find a poker superstar such as Doyle Brunson or Johnny Chan. I was surprised when I approached that table and did not recognize any of the faces.

The photographers were passing up the chance to take pics of some poker legends a few tables away in order to get some candids of Erica Schoenberg. An avid blackjack player, Erica says that she has gambling in her blood as many in her family love to play casino games. Erica was trained by members of the famed MIT blackjack team and took up professional blackjack for some time. This has earned her the nickname as the "Blackjack Babe." A true athlete, she has spent time on the beach volleyball tournament trail, teaches kickboxing, and has worked as a professional trainer. Her long blonde hair and glowing smile makes hides seems to mask her ferocity at the poker table. 2006 was Erica's introduction to the general poker world. She made notable finishes at the Foxwoods event of the World Poker Tour (No Limit Hold'em) and the World Series of Poker (Pot Limit Hold 'em). She also made an appearance on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, which garnered great ratings on CBS. Poker websites and magazines all seemed to have a picture or two of this rising poker star. She seems have that elusively perfect combination of personality, looks, and poker skill.

Clonie Gowen burst onto the poker consciousness due to exposure through her success on the World Poker Tour in 2003. Once an Oklahoma beauty queen, she is now a well-known poker pro and member of Team Full Tilt. An accomplished athlete in high school in basketball & track, she took her competitive nature to the poker felts. While living in Dallas, she took the long drive to Shreveport each weekend to crash into their small buy-in tournaments and cash games. She soon began to turn steady profits of about a hundred bucks per trip. These small wins ignited her fire, and she soon began to quest for more. Before long she was a regular in bigger games and bigger tournaments. With her youthful looks and flawless figure, many are surprised to learn that Clonie is a proud & busy mother of two. Her sexy picture in the popular Maxim magazine made poker chat forums light up with activity, and it also allowed her to gain new fans.

At the 2006 World Series of Poker Media & Celebrity poker tournament, a whole range of TV and movie stars took their shot at the top prize. The two that seemed to get the most attention were beauties Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly. Shannon Elizabeth is best known for playing the sultry foreign exchange student Nadia in the popular movie American Pie. She is also starting to get recognition for her solid poker skill. A great athlete, she once considered a career in professional tennis before turning to acting.

Shannon established her poker reputability when she scored three cash finishes at World Series of Poker events in 2006! Seeing her enormous potential in the realm of poker, Team Full Tilt leapt in to sign Shannon for an endorsement deal. This assures that she will be a steady figure on the tournaments trail. She is a regular in the L.A. poker scene, and now aims to be at every major tournament. Her charming and down-to-earth personality makes her one of the most liked celebrities turned poker players. When playing against her at the WSOP Media & Celebrity event, I could not help but be struck by how truly friendly she was. She had no evidence of the inflated ego that some actors (and poker players) often possess. When I knocked her out of that tournament (by the way, I have to admit I knocked her out on a bad beat after she trapped me with a better hand), she continued to be gracious and sincere. Besides acting and poker, Shannon's passion is the charity that she founded: Animal Avengers.

Actress Jennifer Tilly wowed poker insiders by winning a World Series of Poker Bracelet (the Ladies event) in 2005. Non-poker fans know her as the star in popular flicks such as Bound, Liar Liar, and Bride of Chucky. She is the first celebrity to earn a coveted WSOP bracelet, showing her prowess for the game. Upon winning the title, Jennifer held the bracelet into the air and exclaimed, "This is better than an Oscar!" Tilly is credited in a multitude of movies, but only movie aficionados remember that she was nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for her work in the film Bullets Over Broadway. Tilly first came onto the poker scene through the World Poker Tour's Hollywood Home Game and the Celebrity Poker Showdown! on the Bravo network.

Tilly was also logging hours on the L.A. poker club scene. As she entered the poker scene, she struck up a flirtatious relationship with poker superstar Phil "the Unabomber" Laak. Before long, Tilly had a boyfriend and a poker coach in Laak. With the ditzy roles that she often portrays in her movies, many in the poker world assumed that she would be relying on her good looks and luck at the tables. Instead, she showed extreme savvy and intelligence as she took the poker world on with force. Not only did she earn the bracelet, she also won the World Poker Tour's Ladies Night in season 2. Tilly's wins helped to propel poker to the next echelon, as her famous face and big wins caught the attention of news outlet across the planet. She seems to have established her place in poker, and it looks like she is not going anywhere.

Poker Hotties: Play Profiles & Prediction

PLAY PROFILES: I have contended that women have a better innate ability to play the game of poker than men. Psychologists will tell us they women are more patient, have better instincts, have more mental stamina, are less susceptible to tilt, and are better at reading the emotions of others. These women have all of those characteristics well in tow. In addition, these women have an amazing mix of intelligence, poker skill, and beauty. Their attractive looks do help them on the poker table. With estimates telling us that about 95% of players are male (with most of those being 21-45 in age), their striking looks helps to sooth some opponents. Many men simply don't have that internal drive to take chips from an attractive woman.

Annie Duke once admitted to me that she was not ashamed to flirt to make a few dollars, at times: "I've had people show me their hole cards and because if they want to sleep with you they don't want to take your money. Because they don't want to create a contentious relationship with you. I've had a lot of people be like, 'Don't call I have a flush' and they will flip their cards over for me. I'm always kind of willing to encourage that." These women do much more than flirt for profit, though. They play an intimidating, powerful style of poker.

PREDICTIONS: All of these ladies are indeed beautiful. All of them are formidable players, as well. And with the line between poker and entertainment getting more narrowed all of the time, these ladies may have a big role the future of the game. In 2006, Erica Shoenberg signed a sponsorship deal with MansionPoker.com. Not only does this deal help to pay for her poker bankroll, it also assures that she will be the face of this company's TV commercials & internet ads. Clonie Gowen spends a huge amount of her time doing presentation, attending charitable functions, and serving as a commentator for poker-related TV shows. Clonie has also taken a leadership role in the world of poker, as sits on the board of directors for the United States Poker Association (a non-profit association with a strong influence in the world of poker). Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth have poker sponsorship contracts and the star power to help launch their sites and the overall game. It does not take a marketing genius to know that beautiful women help to sell just about anything. With that in mind, these ladies may be on the forefront of the efforts to bring poker to network TV, to more households, and into the favor of the politicians looking to make online poker illegal.

On the felt, Tilly has already shown that this lot of lady power players has unlimited potential. With a WSOP bracelet already under her belt, poker insiders are wondering if she'll get another in her career. Wins in tournaments may only be a small piece of this group's poker legacy, though. Along with poker pros such as Annie Duke, Susie Isaacs, and Kathy Leibert, these women poker players are in the forefront of the efforts to get more females to the felt. While poker is marketed as "everybody's game," the reality is that it is a game still dominated by men. Of the 8000+ players that entered the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event, only a few hundred were female. These ladies will help spark the interest of new women players, and perhaps increase that ratio.

More Poker Player Profiles

♣ Andy Bloch ♣ Annie Duke ♣ Antonio Esfandiari ♣ Chris Ferguson ♣ Dan Harrington ♣ Daniel Negreanu ♣ Doyle Brunson ♣ Greg Raymer ♣ Gus Hansen ♣ Howard Lederer ♣ James Woods

♣ Jennifer Harman ♣ Johnny Chan ♣ Mark Seif ♣ Mike Matusow ♣ Phil Gordon ♣ Phil Hellmuth ♣ Phil Ivey ♣ Phil Laak ♣ Poker Hotties ♣ Sam Farha ♣ TJ Cloutier

♣ Back to the index page about poker players.