Sunday, April 02, 2006

"I believe that we are witnessing a star in the making," said Karridy Askenasy, TrueTexasPoker's Creator and Executive Producer. "I've always felt this way about Tom, which is why we selected him to host our show. That, and he's obviously one heck of a poker player. Sure, we're lending our star to another poker show in a sense, but we're very happy that he had this opportunity and was able to make such an impressive showing. Because our televised tournament is a totally free event, TrueTexasPoker and the players of Texas will certainly share in Tom's success. It just makes us that much better."

In a phone interview conducted the morning of the final table's taping, Tom Schneider explained his recent success by saying, "I've played some of the best poker of my life. I know people always say that, but I've really gotten into the zone. That, and I was berated for about two hours straight by last year's champion after beating him out of a hefty pot. I didn't respond, and instead used him as my inspiration. This should be a great thing for me and, of course, for TrueTexasPoker."

TrueTexasPoker is the first televised tournament series of its kind, allowing players to enter for free. This exciting endeavor is being energetically fueled by the Lone Star State's hundreds of thousands of dedicated poker players. Leading the pack is TrueTexasPoker's spokesperson and six time World Series of Poker Champion, Mr. T.J. Cloutier of Richardson, TX. Players may register to compete in this historic event by visiting TrueTexasPoker.com.

Tom Schneider has been a professional poker player for the last four years, finishing "in the money" four times at the World Series of Poker. Tom has recently joined the cast of TrueTexasPoker, as well as becoming the co- host of Beyond the Table, an internet radio show based on the business of poker. Tom's first book, "Oops! I won too much money - Winning wisdom from the boardroom to the poker table", from Brown Books, is now available at major book retailers. Tom currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife and three daughters.