Amarillo Slim Profile

You could credit Amarillo Slim with a lot; he won the 1972 World Series of Poker Championship, the year after legendary Johnny Moss had won his second, he’s written books on poker and poker’s journey, he’s been on a host of TV and radio shows, he was Benny Binnon’s best bud (taking ownership of the WSOP creator’s horse, which was willed to him after Binnion died) and he has four WSOP bracelets to call his own. But even better than poker, the one thing you could say Mr. Preston is good at is self promotion. So excited with the World Series of Poker and heady with his 1972 win, Slim hit up the talk show circuit, using his powerful character to get slots and make bookings that would grantee plenty of exposure. He even convinced Tom Snyder, host of The Tomorrow Show (which used to air directly after The Tonight Show), to give over the entire show to him, Joe Bernstein and Benny Binion himself, who was notoriously averse to public appearances.

Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Jr. was born December 31, 1928 in Johnson, Arkansas, and earned his nickname after taking up residence in Amarillo, Texas. Oh, and as he used to put it, he was an advance man for a famine, extremely thin and tall. He was also a championship billiards player, the youngest ever to play in the World Billiards Tournament. His recent book, Amarillo Slim in a World Of Fat People almost got turned into a film, but reportedly was axed after a careless anti-Semitic remark was made by Slim on a radio show.

Amarillo Slim: one of the legends of poker, and rightfully listed in the Poker Hall of Fame.