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Real Casinos > Poker Player Profiles > Amarillo Slim
Amarillo Slim
Amarillo Slim A.K.A Thomas
Austin Preston Jr. was born December
31, 1928 in Arkansas.
While still a young child his family moved to Texas and to this day he considers himself a
full-blooded Texan.
For most, the name Amarillo
Slim and poker go hand in hand but few people realize that poker is not his
first love. The game that actually stole
his heart was pool which he used as a major source of income in the early
years. It was not until some years later
that he became involved in poker, where he would find fame and fortune.
The 1950’s showed little
action in the world of poker and Slim toured the country in search of poker
games, many of which were illegal. This
was the beginning of what would be Slim’s prolific career. Along with other rounder greats like Doyle
Brunson and Sailor Roberts, Slim began to not only draw attention to himself
but also the world of poker as a whole.
In 1972 Slim won his first
World Series of Poker championships with a Texas Hold ‘Em No Limit win. This would launch not only his fame but that
of poker and bring about a whole new interest in the game. After the win Slim would appear on television
many times and even win a bit part in a movie playing himself. His flamboyant over the top personality would
endear him to many as well as create a large base of enemies.
Amarillo Slim is known as one
of the best overall gamblers in the world.
His exploits go well beyond the realm of World Series Poker
playing. He has also taken $300,000 from
Willie Nelson in a game of Dominoes, played poker against US Presidents and
once soaked Porn King Larry Flynt for $2,000,000 in a game of poker. Flynt soon became the sworn enemy of Slim and
has dedicated a large share of his life trying to discredit the gambler by
accusing him of over stating and outright fabrication of his life.
As time went on Slim would
win three more World Series of Poker championships, write several books
including Amarillo Slim In A World Full Of Fat People. Many have learned that he is a man who says
what he wants and sometimes that does a bit of harm. An early movie deal was
cancelled because Slim made Anti-Semitic remarks on a radio show and has always
been very outspoken against women in the gambling world.
2003 would be a bad year for
Slim as he was indicted on three counts of child molestation against his own
granddaughter. In 2004 he plead guilty
to the reduced charges of misdemeanor assault and was given a deferred
sentence.
Today, Amarillo Slim is 78
years old and still plays the game that has made him famous. He is not quite as dedicated to the scene as
he once but he can still be found in some of the major tournaments on the
circuit. A movie about his life, starring
Nicholas Cage, is due out at the end of 2006.
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