Amarillo Slim
Amarillo Slim at the 1974 WSOP
Nickname(s)	Amarillo Slim
Hometown	Amarillo, Texas
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)	4
Money finishes	9
Highest ITM main event finish	Winner, 1972

Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. (born December 31, 1928 in Johnson, Arkansas), known as Amarillo Slim, is a professional gambler, famous for his poker skills and proposition bets. He won the main event at the World Series of Poker in 1972. Download high resolution version (800x610, 119 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The 1974 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held in May 1974 at Binions Horseshoe. ... Nickname: Location within the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country State County Potter (and Randall) Government  - Mayor Debra McCartt Area  - City  90. ... The WSOP logo The World Series of Poker is the most prestigious set of poker tournaments in the world. ... Non-Main Event gold bracelets given to the event winners during the 2005 WSOP The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet is the biggest non-monetary prize a poker player can win. ... For a list of words Poker, see the Poker category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The following is a glossary of poker terms used in Wikipedia poker articles. ... The 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Johnson is a city located in Washington County, Arkansas. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker. ... In gambling, a proposition bet (also called a prop bet, prop, or exotic) is a bet made on an outcome or a proposition. ... The WSOP logo The World Series of Poker is the most prestigious set of poker tournaments in the world. ...

Professional poker player

Before becoming a well known face and tournament poker player, Preston was a rounder and toured the United States looking for gambling action along with Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts. The term rounder can mean several things. ... Doyle Brunson, also known as Texas Dolly, (born August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Fisher County, Texas) is an American poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. ... Sailor Roberts at the 1979 World Series of Poker Brian Sailor Roberts was a professional poker player. ...

Following his victory he went on several talk shows, and even had a bit part in the Robert Altman movie California Split, making him moderately famous outside the poker world. He has appeared on The Tonight Show 11 times, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, I've Got a Secret, The Tomorrow Show, Panorama, Georgia Today, and A. M. Los Angeles. For other persons named Robert Altman, see Robert Altman (disambiguation). ... California Split is a 1974 film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. ... This article is about the CBS news magazine. ... Ive Got a Secret (abbreviated as IGAS) was a weekly panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television and was created by Allan Sherman as essentially a knockoff of Whats My Line?. The original version of the show premiered in June 19, 1952...

As of 2007, Preston has a total of four WSOP bracelets, including two in Omaha, and has won over $590,000 in tournament play.^[1] He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... The 2007 WSOP Main Event Bracelet A bracelet is awared to each of the winners of the 50+ plus events at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). ... Omaha hold em (or Omaha holdem or simply Omaha) is a community card poker game (often referred to as a flop game) similar to Texas hold em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the... The Poker Hall of Fame is a group of poker players who have played poker well against top competition for high stakes over a long period of time. ...

His secret for his 1972 appearance on I've Got a Secret involved losing $190,000 in one night of playing poker. Ive Got a Secret (abbreviated as IGAS) was a weekly panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television and was created by Allan Sherman as essentially a knockoff of Whats My Line?. The original version of the show premiered in June 19, 1952...

Super Bowl of Poker

In January and February of 1980 Amarillo Slim hosted the Second Annual Poker Classic which became the second most prestigious poker tournament during its time. This series would eventually be called the Super Bowl of Poker (SBOP) and would continue until 1990. Gabe Kaplan became the first tournament winner of this series.^[2] Gabriel Gabe Kaplan (born March 31, 1945) is an American actor, comedian and professional poker player. ...

By the end of the tournament series legendary poker player Stu Ungar had won the title 3 times leading Slim to say "Stu musta won a jillion dollars in my tournaments".^[3] Stuart Errol Ungar (September 8, 1953 – November 22, 1998) was a professional poker and gin rummy player, considered to be among the best in history at both games. ...

Tales of a legend

Preston was the best friend of casino owner Benny Binion. On Preston's publicity run after his 1972 win he convinced Tom Snyder, host of The Tomorrow Show that came on right after The Tonight Show, to allow Preston, Binion, and Joe Bernstein to have the entire show. Binion didn't care to be in the public spotlight, but Preston convinced him to do it. When Binion died in 1989, he left his horse to Preston. Benny Binion at the 1979 World Series of Poker Lester Ben Benny Binion (November 20, 1904 - December 25, 1989) was a well known American casino owner and poker enthusiast. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

Preston is often misquoted as saying that if a woman ever won the WSOP, he'd slit his throat, but the true story is quite different. During some of the early WSOP events an unpopular woman player got an early chip lead and declared that she was going to be the winner in front of the media. When she asked Preston what he thought of it, he told her that if she won he would slit his throat. She ultimately did not win.

Preston has also helped establish gaming facilities around the world. While he was helping open the Casino de Caribe in Colombia he was kidnapped by people working for Pablo Escobar, who mistook him for another person, but was eventually released. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria aka El Patrón (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. ...

Recent events

In May 2003, Preston published his autobiography Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, where he revealed tales of playing poker with Larry Flynt, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon, among others. 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → A timeline of events in the news for May, 2003. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

In August 2003, Preston was indicted on three charges of indecency with his 12-year-old granddaughter. The charges were reduced to misdemeanor assault in a plea bargain and on February 10, 2004, he pled guilty to the reduced charges, receiving a $4,000 fine and two years deferred adjudication.^[4] 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for August, 2003. ... A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a criminal case in which a prosecutor and a defendant arrange to settle the case against the defendant. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A film based on Preston's career, entitled "Amarillo Slim", is currently being developed to be directed by Miloš Forman, with Nicolas Cage slated to play him.^[5] Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as MiloÅ¡ Forman, is a film director, actor, screenwriter and professor. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ...

Early on the morning of October 4th, 2006, Preston was approached on a street by a would-be robber. He sped away, but not before the gunman fired three bullets at his car. Preston was not injured.^[6] October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ...

On January 28th, 2007, Preston was robbed at gun point in his own home.^[7] January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

In April 2007, Preston opened a website and released an E-Book All In: An E-guide To No Limit Texas Hold'em, by Amarillo Slim Preston with Brent Riley.

Preston is divorced, has three children, and currently resides in Amarillo, Texas. Nickname: Location within the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country State County Potter (and Randall) Government  - Mayor Debra McCartt Area  - City  90. ...

World Series of Poker Bracelets

The 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1974 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1985 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1990 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ...

Publications

• (with Bill G. Cox) Play poker to win, Grosset and Dunlap, 1973, republished in 2005 by HarperCollins in a revised edition as Amarillo Slim's play poker to win: million dollar strategies from the legendary world series of poker winner
• Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, 2003
• All In: An E-guide To No Limit Texas Hold'em, by Amarillo Slim Preston with Brent Riley, 2007

Notes

1. ^ Hendon Mob tournament results
2. ^ Poker News Gabe Kaplan
3. ^ One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey
4. ^ Las Vegas Review Journal
5. ^ IMDb: Amarillo Slim
6. ^ Amarillo.com
7. ^ Amarillo.com

External links

• Official site
• Poker Babes profile
• PokerPlayer magazine interview