Amarillo Slim, poker’s first superstar, overpowered his opponents with a blend of charm, craftiness, and exceptional coolness. Known for his cowboy boots and hats, his Texas drawl, and dry country wit, he became a public face of poker.
Amarillo Slim helped usher poker into a multi-billion-dollar business, first on television and then on the World Wide Web.
Thomas Austin Preston Jr., born on New Year’s Eve in 1928, first dabbled in sports when he played pool as a hustler. He was also known for his prop bets, betting on just about anything and anyone, often in legendary fashion. He used an iron skillet to beat Bobby Riggs at ping pong, played Minnesota Fats in one-pocket billiards using a broomstick, and won $300,000 from Willie Nelson playing dominoes.
Slim turned his attention to poker in the 1960s, a game that he soon revolutionized. Mainly played on kitchen tables and smoky backrooms, Slim elevated the game in status and popularity, making headlines in the 1970s when he played in the World Series of Poker, competing against the likes of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Sailor Roberts, and Crandell Addington. In 1972, Slim won the World Series of Poker Main Event, and he also won four World Series of Poker Bracelets between 1972 and 1990.
Photo courtesy The Guardian
Overall, he won more than $500,000 in tournament earnings and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.
Slim also relished playing the game with public figures of the time, including Richard M. Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson. He was also known for playing the game with infamous people such as drug lord Pablo Escobar and Hustler founder Larry Flynt. He wasn’t shy about discussing poker risk, once making an appearance on the popular TV show “I’ve Got a Secret.” His secret? One night, he lost $190,000 playing the game.
Despite all the fame, there was also notoriety. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to charges of indecency with a 12-year-old grandchild (charges were reduced to misdemeanor assault). Besides that, Slim got caught up in the shady side of gambling. He was the victim of an attempted armed robbery, robbed at gunpoint in his home, and beaten and then robbed while trying to collect a gambling debt.
In 2012, Amarillo Slim died at the age of 83 in (where else?) Amarillo, Texas.
