Review of Oops! I Won Too Much Money

Title:

Oops! I Won Too Much Money

Author:

Tom Schneider

Publisher:

Brown Books Publishing Group

Date:

2006

ISBN:

1-933285-37-0

Pages:

218

Price:

$24.95

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@lvrevealed.com

June 30, 2008

Tom Schneider has 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 has 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 notes is based on Schneider's experiences, and each contains some meaningful life lesson. This 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.

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 view this as a problem with book, though. This is a complaint I have with the genre of "business wisdom" books in general, and Schneider's book is less guilty of this than most books of its type. Honestly, I find it surprising If you're looking for a surrogate Dad to dispense life, business, and poker advice, and you're willing to roll your eyes at a few of the stories, you could certainly do a lot worse than reading this book.

I enjoyed Schneider's writing style, and his jovial personality that comes through. If 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.

Capsule:

Oops! I Won Too Much Money is a collection of pearls of wisdom from author Tom Schneider on the topics of business, poker, and life. The vignettes are amusing and well written. The advice they contain is reasonable, but a little too obvious for my tastes. Still, I think there is an audience for this book that will both be edified and entertained.

Note: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. I have no other interest, financial or otherwise, in the success of this book.