Las Vegas Weekly

June 1, 2009 · 10:27 AM

Poker legend Amarillo Slim is back at the World Series of Poker

By Robin Leach

Poker legends Thomas Austin Preston Jr., aka Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson.

Photo: Rob Gracie/www.greasiewheels.com

Once dubbed “the world’s greatest gambler,” Thomas Austin Preston Jr., aka Amarillo Slim, took part in yesterday’s prestigious World Series of Poker 2009 Champions Invitational at The Rio, where this year’s tournament is now underway.

“When it comes to poker players, there is a fine line between genius and insanity,” said Doyle Brunson in one of his recent blogs. There’s little doubt that Doyle was referring to longtime traveling and poker playing companion Amarillo Slim.

There was literally nothing that Amarillo Slim wouldn’t bet on. He was one of the first to combine side action with gambling. He beat Minnesota Fats at pool with a broom, hit a golf ball a mile across a frozen lake and won $300,000 from country music legend Willie Nelson playing dominoes. He has played poker with LBJ and Richard Nixon, drug lords Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Chagra and porn king Larry Flint, in which Larry lost a whopping $1.7 million!

Amarillo Slim rides on the edge of sheer brilliance. He won five WSOP bracelets, including the Main Event in 1972, forever leaving his mark in poker history. Much more than just a poker player, he is a Texas treasure and folk hero. His life story is not without controversy, though Texas Dolly stands tall for Amarillo Slim.

“I spent 10 years traveling and playing poker with Slim, and I never saw one thing that I thought was wrong in that area,” Brunson said recently. “Poker owes Slim a lot, and he should be recognized for that. I don’t know how many years I’ve got left, but I would like to bet double or nothing Slim Preston is (... innocent).”

Among the 33 invited legends, Slim was joined by industry icons Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, Huckleberry Seed, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Jamie Gold and last year’s champion, Peter Eastgate, WSOP’s youngest ever winner. Controversial figure Russ Hamilton did not compete this year.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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