Amarillo Slim wasn’t always known by this name. Born Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. in December 21, 1938 in Johnson, Arkansas, the first time he won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker was in 1972. Yet before he became famous for his tournament poker skills, Amarillo Slim was already quite well known in the poker world as a rounder. Together with his buddies Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts, he would go all over the United States, looking for some gambling action.
Prior to the creation of the World Series of Poker, the game of poker didn’t really have the best of reputations. It was seen as worthy of contempt and people who did not know much about the game had this preconceived notion that poker players – and everyone involved in it – were either cheaters or liars or both. Amarillo Slim’s win in 1972 propelled him to popularity and at the same time introduced poker to the general public as a legitimate game.
This win was a turning point in Amarillo Slim’s life as he made appearances in countless TV shows. Being the type who liked exposure anyway, Amarillo Slim drank in the publicity. He guested in The Tonight Show, 60 Minutes, and Good Morning America, among others. His friendly manner and treasure trove of wild stories made him adorable to the public. As he continued to promote poker, more and more people began to realize the merits of the game.
Amarillo Slim is also known for setting up the second biggest poker tournament – the first being WSOP. The Super Bowl of Poker actually gave other poker players their breaks, Stu Ungar being one of them. Amarillo Slim’s poker escapades didn’t stop at the different states. He went on to host tournaments in South Africa, Australia, and Colombia. In one of his stories, he tells of how he was kidnapped by Paolo Escobar’s men. (For those of you who do not know Escobar, he was one of the famous drug lords in Colombia.) However, when Escobar found out it was Amarillo Slim, he was treated like a royal guest and was given priceless gifts.
Without a doubt, Amarillo Slim’s life was full of color and adventure. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous and had the time of his life. Yet despite these things, he was only human and made some mistakes along the way. In 2003, he was indicted for three counts of indecency with a 12 –year old. As he made a plea bargain, he got off on three misdemeanor counts. He had to pay a $4000 fine and serve a 2 year deferred sentence. In his 70s, he now continues to reside in Amarillo, Texas.
Though he may have had such failures in his personal life, it is beyond any doubt that Amarillo Slim remains one of the greatest poker players of all time. As he himself said at one point in his life: “Nobody is always a winner, and anybody who says he is, is either a liar or doesn’t play poker.”
