Oops! I Won Too Much Money
by Tom Schneider
Brown Books Publishing Group (2006) ISBN: 1-933285-37-0 218 pp, $24.99

Tom Schneider had an expansive business career that many would envy. As an entrepreneur and as an executive for multiple golf equipment companies he certainly has the credentials to talk about the business world. After leaving business, Tom pursued his passion, poker. He has done so as a professional and has achieved notable results, including winning two bracelets and Player of the Year honors at the 2007 WSOP. Combining these two topics would seem to be a logical choice for this author, and he has done so in Oops! I Won Too Much Money.

Oops! I Won Too Much Money is a collection of about 60 musings connecting poker to life, often through the business world. I would hesitate to call these "essays" since they're written in a light, almost whimsical style. At the same time, I'm not comfortable with calling them stories either, because each of these writings is based on Schneider's experiences, and each contains some meaningful life lesson. Whatever they're called, the book is basically a collection of lessons one might hear over a lifetime or career from an older relative, a mentor, or some other trusted advisor.

These articles all contain some essential truth. Each contains a lesson worth learning. They're told in a conversational manner, and with a great deal of good humor, often at the author's expense. This is folk wisdom for the contemporary business world. These articles are also light and well-written, and the book as a whole is a quick and enjoyable read.

The down side to the book is that most of these lessons are pretty familiar, a couple to the point of being tired. I don't really view this as a problem with the book, though. It's a complaint I have with the genre of "business wisdom" books in general, and Schneider's book is less guilty of this than many books of its type. If you're looking for a surrogate dad to dispense general life, business, and poker advice, you could certainly do a lot worse than reading this book.

I enjoyed Schneider's writing style and his jovial personality comes through. I honestly didn't learn that much about either poker or business, or even life, but this isn't supposed to be a graduate level text book on anything, so that's not a big gripe. Those looking to glean details of the author's considerable poker experience won't find what they're looking for here, but I'm certain there are those who would enjoy the book, and I'm equally certain there are people out there who would benefit from it. If you suspect you might be in either category, I can recommend finding a copy of Oops! I Won Too Much Money.
-Nick Christenson