Digital Cowboy

Clonie Gowen is a rising star in the poker world and one of the top female players. She’s also, coincidentally, pretty hot. In a pre-poker life she was Miss Oklahoma. She’s been on TV quite a bit lately. She got started playing poker in the casinos in Shreveport, LA while living in Dallas. She now lives about a half hour from me, in Sachse, TX.

I get emails from various Dallas card rooms to let me know what’s going on in the local poker world. I got one Thursday from “Aces” to inform me that Clonie would be playing there Thursday night. It included a link to Clonie’s website. I clicked the link to see what she’s up to.

While I was at her site, my kids came in.

“Daddy, who’s that?”

“Clonie Gowen. She’s a professional poker player.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you know her?” (What I didn’t say: “In the biblical sense, sweetheart?”)

“No, dear. I don’t. But she lives pretty close to us. I just got an email from a card room in Dallas telling me that she’s going to be there tonight. If I had some money and a babysitter, I could go play poker with her tonight.”

“You should go play with her, Daddy!” (Not said: “Oh, how I would love to go play with her.”)

“I just told you I don’t have money or a babysitter.” (Oldest runs off.)

“We could stay with Alton and … and …” (oldest returns at a full gallop with her purse)

“Here’s some money, Daddy. You can have my money to play with her.” (handing me a fist full of change totaling about seventy cents.)

“Thank you, sweetheart. That’s very nice of you, but it would take a lot more money than that and we still don’t have a babysitter.”

“Call Miss Miriam!” (That’s our old daycare provider who doesn’t do any “after hours” babysitting.)

“Honey, she doesn’t take care of kids at night. Why are you so determined to get me to go?”

(The kids tag-teaming.) “Because she’s really pretty.” “Yeah. I bet she’d be a really good mommy.” “Yeah! I’d really like to have a poker mommy.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

So. Clonie, you’ve been paged. We need a “poker mommy” in Celina. Email me for phone numbers and directions.