There’s no denying that poker in Texas is booming. Despite frequent legal troubles on its legality, and the occasional raid, players are still flocking to card rooms across the Lone Star State. Unfortunately, those cardrooms occasionally make headlines for all the wrong reasons including robberies, shootings, and the like.
That’s why player safety has become a major topic in Texas cardrooms, something Champions Club Texas is taking seriously as evidenced by their hiring of former U.S. Marshal Trent Touchstone as their new Director of Security.
A native Texan born in San Antonio, Touchstone played college football at Southwest Texas State and the University of North Texas (UNT).
“I still hold the single season total tackle record, which has stood for over 33 years,” said Touchstone, who graduated from UNT with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice. In 1991, he joined the United States Marshals Service where he served for 28 years. In 2014, he was promoted to Chief Deputy, responsible for all operational matters related to the Northern District of Texas, which is a position he held until he retired.
“The United States Marshals Service is responsible for the custody of all federal prisoners, apprehension of violent state and federal fugitives, protection of the federal judiciary, the Federal Witness Security Program and all assets seized by the federal government,” Touchstone told PokerNews. “Over the course of 28 years, I worked in each of these areas, but I spent most of my time in fugitive apprehension, which I always viewed as a game of hide-and-seek with guns.”
He added: “I established the Dallas/Fort Worth Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (DFW FAST) in 2001 and oversaw the DFW FAST Task Force for more than 10 years. The main function of DFW FAST was the apprehension of violent fugitive felons. During my time serving as commander of the task force, we amassed over 10,000 fugitive arrests. After retirement, I had a stint doing personal protection and stadium security for high-profile country musicians, including George Strait, Chris Stapleton and Eric Church.”
Married for 25 years and a father of four, Touchstone recently spoke with PokerNews about his new venture into the poker industry.
Learn more about poker in Texas here!
Q&A w/ Trent Touchstone
PokerNews: How did the opportunity come about to become Director of Security at Champions Club Texas and what appealed to you about it?
Touchstone: Upon my retirement in 2019, I went to work for a company that provided off duty law enforcement officers for security. I enjoyed the position, but something was missing. I began interviewing for other security-related positions in the private sector. I wanted to build something based upon my years of experience.
While going through the interview process for a security director position in Arizona, I came across a job posting on Indeed for Champions Club Texas. I thought it looked interesting and decided to throw my name in. After meeting with Roy Choi and Isaac Trumbo, the founders and owners, I was 100% committed to becoming a Champions employee. My position as Director of Security allows me to draw upon my career experience to build a security plan and team from the ground up. That is important to me, as well as being part of a team that is committed to building a brand name.
Are you familiar with poker? Do you play? Or will this be a new industry and venture for you?
I am familiar with the game but had never played prior to joining the team at Champions Club Texas. During the construction phase for our new Houston location, I sat down with several of our seasoned poker dealers and learned to play Texas hold’em. I was hooked. It’s a game of strategy and skill vs luck. So, yes – I play poker, but as I tell everyone, I am still at the beginner’s table. However, watch out because I had great teachers! I am still trying to learn the poker lingo and terms. So, while security is not new to me, the poker world is.
It’s no secret there have been many – we’ll call them incidences – at various Texas card rooms. What sort of challenges do you expect to face?
This is true – criminals seek opportunities. My job is to eliminate those opportunities. At Champions Club Texas, I have deployed several layers of security. While I’m not at liberty to disclose all of our security procedures, I can share some of our enhanced security measures with regard to our rigorous screening process and our armed guard staff.
Before entering our establishment, every person goes through our weapons detection screening system. Rather than a standard metal detector, which many poker clubs use, we utilize the Athena Weapons Detection System. It’s a state-of-the-art technology that can detect concealed weapons up to 10 times faster than legacy walk-through metal detectors while helping us automate compliance with real-time alerts. This system adheres to the NILECJ-STD-0601.00 Level 1 and 2 Security Standard.
In addition, our armed guards are some of the best in the industry. Each guard is compliant with all State of Texas licensing requirements, but I have taken it a step further. Ongoing firearms training involving tactical counter measures, rapid response, medical trauma and situational awareness training are a few of the classes that I require each guard to complete. We have had the luxury of choosing the best-of-the-best to staff our front-line security team because we compensate them well above the average rates. It’s a reflection of how much we value their experience and service.
“I want our entire staff to develop the mindset that they are part of our security team.”
We take a holistic and thorough approach to security at Champions to ensure that our team is prepared for any number of incidents, including medical emergencies, natural disasters, property theft and potential safety threats. I provide situational awareness training to every employee. From bartenders to poker brushes, I want our entire staff to develop the mindset that they are part of our security team. They are another set of eyes, and teaching our employees what to look for enables our security team to react in a timely and appropriate manner.
Any tips on how poker players can better protect themselves when playing at a Texas card room?
First and foremost, I advise players to visit reputable card rooms where there is a visible security presence. There are many social poker clubs in Texas, so make sure you are choosing locations that prioritize security. Situational awareness is also key. Know what is going on around you and look for anomalies. Does anything unusual stand out? Also, be prepared to execute a plan.
We are currently developing a “Player Security Card” for our members, which provides some general suggestions that players should follow upon arrival and when they depart for the night. This includes utilizing the numerous security features that we offer at Champions, such as our wire transfer system and safe deposit boxes so that players don’t have to carry cash. We have also deployed our Security Concierge Program to provide our members with hands-on security at any time, including a personal security escort upon request when leaving for the night.
We recognize that not all poker establishments have the resources to execute this level of security, but it’s an investment we have made at Champions for the safety of our members. Our security team is here to serve our members 24/7. We encourage them to communicate any concerns with us and utilize the enhanced security services we have available at Champions.
Can you share with us any wild/scary stories from your 28 years in the US Marshals Service?
To me, it was an honor to serve in the United States Marshals Service, which is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the country. Maybe I became conditioned over the years because there are so many examples that seem wild and scary now, but at the time, I was just doing my job. Looking back, I am very grateful I survived 28 years without any injuries. I have chased fugitives through the streets of Dallas on foot, been in high-speed chases and have been shot at, which is funny now because at the time my partner and I didn’t realize someone was shooting at us.
Some of the situations that stand out for me are escorting Mafia Boss John Gotti in protective transports in New York, supporting 9/11 response efforts and protecting federal judges who had received death threats in Arkansas, Texas, New York and a few other states. I physically fought with fugitives a few times, but I was lucky that my partner was 6‘4 and weighed over 250 pounds, so not many tried to fight us.
I was on the front lines during the Los Angeles riots doing curfew patrols in the heart of the riots. I didn’t realize the level of danger at the time; I was just a new deputy having a great time doing my job. I thoroughly enjoyed my years with the U.S. Marshals Service, which provided me with an extensive background and expertise in security that I have applied to my role at Champions Club Texas.
Executive Editor U.S.
Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.