Amarillo Slim: Biography, Career and Poker Results

June 5, 2025
Updated October 25, 2026

Amarillo Slim, born Thomas Austin Preston Jr., was an American professional poker player and gambler. He was born on December 31, 1928, in Johnson, Arkansas, won the 1972 World Series of Poker Main Event and collected four WSOP bracelets in three different decades. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992 and died in Amarillo, Texas, on April 29, 2012, at the age of 83. ^[1][3][5] His television appearances after the 1972 win made him one of the first poker players known to a national audience. ^[8]

Amarillo Slim in a cowboy hat at the 1974 World Series of Poker — Amarillo Slim at the 1974 World Series of Poker. University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Table of Contents

Amarillo Slim: key facts

Real name	Thomas Austin Preston Jr. ^[5]
Country	United States ^[1]
Born	December 31, 1928, Johnson, Arkansas ^[4][6]
Died	April 29, 2012, Amarillo, Texas (aged 83) ^[5][6]
Known for	1972 WSOP Main Event champion; television ambassador for poker in the 1970s; proposition bets
Poker Hall of Fame	Inducted 1992 ^[3]
WSOP bracelets	4 (1972, 1974, 1985, 1990) ^[2]
WSOP record	13 cashes, 5 final tables, $437,958 in WSOP earnings ^[2]
Books	Play Poker to Win (1973); Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People (2003) ^[4]

Early life: Arkansas, Texas and the pool halls

Preston was born in Johnson, Arkansas, and moved as a child to Turkey, Texas. When his parents divorced, his mother returned to Johnson and his father moved to Amarillo. The Guardian quoted his view of that move: “Amarillo Slim sounds a heck of a lot better than Turkey Tom or Arkansas Austin.” ^[1][6]

According to Card Player, he was already a pool hustler by the age of 15, when he took on the “Slim” nickname. ^[7] At 17 he joined the US Navy. ^[6] His son told the Associated Press that he served in special services and entertained troops at the end of World War II with pool exhibitions. ^[5]

Beginning in poker: the Texas road gamblers

Back in Texas, Preston moved from pool to poker and teamed up with fellow road gamblers Doyle Brunson and Brian “Sailor” Roberts. Card Player reports that the three shared a bankroll and travelled to underground games across Texas and the South in the 1960s. ^[7] PokerNews notes that the trio is often credited with introducing Texas Hold’em to Las Vegas casinos, and all three were present at the first World Series of Poker in 1970. ^[1]

Playing style and persona

Preston’s reputation rested as much on talk and showmanship as on card play. The Associated Press wrote in its obituary that he was “often not the best player at the table” but sought out the spotlight that other professional gamblers of his time avoided. ^[5] Shawn Rice, his gambling partner for 25 years, told Card Player: “He looked like a dumb old cowboy, talked like a dumb old cowboy but was sharp as they come.” ^[7]

He was also known for proposition bets, many of which he described himself. Among his claims were beating Minnesota Fats at pool with a broomstick, beating tennis player Bobby Riggs at table tennis with a skillet and winning $300,000 from Willie Nelson at dominoes. ^[5][6] Card Player reports a $31,000 bet that he could not run a 29-mile stretch of Idaho’s Salmon River in winter, covered by the Tuscaloosa News on November 27, 1972. ^[7] Greg Dinkin, co-author of his memoir, cautioned: “Remember that Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People is a memoir. It’s simply the stories Slim wants to remember, how he wants to remember them.” ^[7]

Greatest achievements

The 1972 WSOP Main Event

Preston won the 1972 Main Event, a $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em event with 8 entrants, and took the $80,000 winner-take-all prize after beating Walter “Puggy” Pearson heads-up. ^[1][2] How the final stage played out has long been debated. According to PokerNews and Card Player, the remaining players discussed who should take the title, Brunson withdrew citing illness, and Preston later suggested that he had been “picked” to win because he was the most promotable champion. PokerNews records the final hand as Preston’s king-jack beating Pearson’s pocket sixes. ^[7][8] Read more about his opponent in our profile of Puggy Pearson.

WSOP bracelets and notable results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
1990	WSOP Event #11: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (71 entrants)	1st	$142,000	[2]
2000	WSOP Event #14: $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (100 entrants)	2nd	$97,500	[2]
1985	WSOP Event #8: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha	1st	$85,000	[2]
1972	WSOP Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event (8 entrants)	1st	$80,000	[2]
1974	WSOP Event #5: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em	1st	$11,100	[2]

Two of his four bracelets came in Pot-Limit Omaha. In 2000 he finished second in a $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event to Phil Ivey, who won his first bracelet that day. ^[1][2] His WSOP.com profile lists 13 cashes, 5 final tables and $437,958 in WSOP earnings. ^[2]

Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker

From 1979 to 1991 Preston hosted Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker, which PokerNews describes as the second most prestigious tournament of its time after the WSOP Main Event. Stu Ungar won it three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1989. ^[1]

Poker Hall of Fame, 1992

Preston was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992. ^[3] PokerNews writes that the honour recognised both his WSOP success and his efforts to change the image of poker. ^[1]

Television, film and books

Within a month of his Main Event win, Preston appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on June 16, 1972, and he was invited back many times. He was also profiled on 60 Minutes and appeared on Good Morning America and on game shows including To Tell the Truth, What’s My Line? and I’ve Got a Secret. ^[8] The following year CBS covered the WSOP, and around 7,000 newspaper and magazine articles were written about the 1973 Series. ^[8] In 1974 he played himself in Robert Altman’s film California Split. ^[6]

In 1973 he wrote Play Poker to Win with Bill G. Cox, later revised and released by HarperCollins as Amarillo Slim’s Play Poker to Win. His autobiography, Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, written with Greg Dinkin, was published in 2003. PokerNews described it as a book that “toes the line between fact and tall tales”. ^[4][8]

The 2003 criminal case

In August 2003 a grand jury in Randall County, Texas, indicted Preston on three felony counts of indecency with a child by contact, involving a 12-year-old relative. ^[9] In February 2004, under a plea agreement, the felony counts were dropped and Preston, then 75, was sentenced on three misdemeanor assault charges to two years of probation with deferred adjudication and a $4,000 fine. He was not required to register as a sex offender. ^[5][10] The Associated Press reported the plea as guilty; Card Player described it as a plea of no contest. ^[7][10] Preston maintained his innocence and said he accepted the deal to spare his family a trial: “I didn’t want my family dragged through a trial and being made my enemy in the court.” ^[5]

Personal life and death

Preston was divorced from his wife, Helen, and had two sons and a daughter. ^[6] He died of colon cancer on Sunday, April 29, 2012, in hospice care in Amarillo, where he lived. He was 83. His son told the Associated Press that “he was playing poker until the very, very end.” ^[5] Doyle Brunson told Card Player: “He was the biggest promoter for poker and brought respectability to poker when there was none.” ^[7]

In his own words

“Look around the table. If you don’t see a sucker, get up, because you’re the sucker.” From his website, quoted by the Associated Press. ^[5]
“I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a champion and make a sucker out of him.” ^[4]
“After a while these shows became kinda routine. But I kept making appearances, because I knew it’d be good for Benny and the World Series of Poker, and, as it turned out, it was even better for old Slim.” From his 2003 memoir, quoted by PokerNews. ^[8]

FAQ about Amarillo Slim

What was Amarillo Slim’s real name?

Thomas Austin Preston Jr. The nickname came from the Texas city where his father settled and from his pool hustling days. ^[5][6]

When did Amarillo Slim die, and how old was he?

He died of colon cancer on April 29, 2012, in Amarillo, Texas, aged 83. He was born on December 31, 1928. ^[5][6]

How many WSOP bracelets did Amarillo Slim win?

Four: the 1972 Main Event, a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event in 1974, and $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha events in 1985 and 1990. ^[2]

How much did Amarillo Slim win in the 1972 Main Event?

$80,000, in a field of 8 players, after beating Puggy Pearson heads-up. ^[1][2]

What was Amarillo Slim’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. His WSOP.com profile shows $437,958 in WSOP earnings as of October 5, 2026, and The Guardian estimated his total poker prize money at less than $600,000. Much of his gambling income came from cash games and private bets, which were not recorded. ^[2][6]

When was Amarillo Slim inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?

In 1992. ^[3]

Was Amarillo Slim married?

He was married to Helen, from whom he was later divorced. They had two sons and a daughter. ^[6]

What was the 2003 case against Amarillo Slim?

In 2003 he was indicted in Texas on three felony counts of indecency with a child. In 2004 the felony counts were dropped under a plea agreement, and he was sentenced on three misdemeanor assault charges to probation with deferred adjudication and a $4,000 fine. He maintained his innocence. ^[5][9][10]