Amarillo Slim ()

Name: Thomas Austin Preston Jr.
Nickname: Amarillo Slim
Residence: Amarillo, TX, United States
Tournament Winnings: ~$600.000
WSOP Bracelets: 4

 

Thomas Austin Preston Jr. was born on December 31, 1928 in Arkansas. He grew up in Mineral Wells, Texas but his parents' divorce led him to Amarillo. After graduating high school, he served a few years in the military until he found his calling and made poker popular.

Amarillo Slim's life as a gambler began at the age of 25. At this time, all forms of gambling were forbidden. He traveled throughout the land in search of new poker games. He met Doyle Brunson and Brian "Sailor" Roberts in his travels, with whom he would later develop a deep friend- and partnership. In Doyle Brunson's "Super System", he wrote that the three of them shared a bankroll and exchanged their knowledge of poker. They traveled from city to city in order to gamble. Whereever there were games of chance, the famous trio could be found as well. They didn't restrict themselves to poker, but gambled as long as there was money in the game.

 

While Amarillo Slim traveled throughout the country taking part in illegal games, poker gradually established itself. The foundation of the World Series of Poker in the early seventies was a big step toward the legitimization of the game. It was not lost on Preston that Johnny Moss won the first two events in 1970 and 1971. He wanted to be in Moss's place. And he did it! After his victory in '72, the public acceptance of poker began to grow.

His countless appearances on TV, on the Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and other shows made him the ambassador of poker players. But it was not only his notoriety as a wild gambler that gained publicity; he also built up the position of poker in America. Amarillo Slim's new fame helped him to drive this development further: he invented new tournaments, including "Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker", which took place next to the WSOP.

Thomas Austin Preston reinvented gambling. He rode camels through casinos, took neck-breaking rafting tours and measured himself against the greatest athletes in the world in crazy disciplines. Amarillo's life was also surrounded by rumors, like that he was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar in Colombia, or that he would slit his throat if a woman ever won the WSOP. His autobiography "Amarillo Slim In A World Full Of Fat People" lists all his adventures and gambles. A film about his life is also planned, and he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.

Today, only his cowboy hat and boots remind us of his gambling days. Amarillo Slim is pokered out. If he were in the WSOP today, he would wish he were elsewhere. He would rather spectate at sporting events, to see what's going on. He still enjoys hunting, golfing, swimming or tennis.

Since 2003, however, his success and personality and not lastly his work for the game, which binds us all and makes him a living legend, has been overshadowed by a dark deed: Amarillo Slim was found guilty of molesting his 12 year-old granddaughter, tarnishing his image greatly. He may have avoided direct confrontation in public, but he could not avoid the sinking of his wider reputation. Despite this, Thomas Austin Preston Jr. is known for his love of poker and for advancing the game as no other has.