Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston was an American poker player who won the 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
He went on to win three other bracelets in three different decades, the last of which came in 1990. Following his success, he appeared on national television including the The Tonight Show, Good Morning America and 60 Minutes.
In 1992, Preston was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, recognising his WSOP success and attempts to change the image of poker.
Preston passed away in April 2012, aged 83.
Related: Remembering "Amarillo Slim" Preston (1928-2012)
Biography
Preston was born in Johnson, Arkansas in December, 1928. After his parents moved to Turkey, Texas when he was a child, they subsequently divorced. His mother returned to Johnson, while his father relocated to Amarillo.
In his obituary, the Guardian quoted Preston as saying that this move was a good thing, "because Amarillo Slim sounds a heck of a lot better than Turkey Tom or Arkansas Austin.
At 17, Preston joined the US navy and upon returning to Texas, teamed up with Texas road gamblers Doyle Brunson and Brian "Sailor" Roberts. The trio are often credited with introducing Texas Hold'em to casinos in Las Vegas, and were all present at the inaugural WSOP in 1970.
1972 WSOP Main Event
Preston is best known for winning the 1972 WSOP Main Event, the first year the tournament came with a buy-in of $10,000 (approx. $64,000 in 2021). The tournament in May 1972 attracted eight players, with Preston defeating Walter "Puggy" Pearson heads-up.
In June the same year, Preston made the first of ten appearances on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. The following year, the WSOP was covered by CBS and over 7,000 newspaper articles were written about it. Many credit Preston in helping boost the prestige and appeal of the WSOP in its early years.
Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker
Considered at the time to be the second most prestigious poker tournament outside of the WSOP Main Event, Preston hosted Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker from 1979 to 1991. Check out Part I and Part II of our look back at the tournament.
Here is a list of the winners from 1979-1991.
| Year | Winner | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | George Huber | $150,000 |
| 1980 | Gabe Kaplan | $190,000 |
| 1981 | Junior Whited | $130,000 |
| 1982 | Ed Stevens | $195,000 |
| 1983 | Hans Lund | $275,000 |
| 1984 | Stu Ungar | $275,000 |
| 1985 | Mickey Appleman | $205,000 |
| 1986 | Billy T. Walters | $175,000 |
| 1987 | Jack Keller | $220,000 |
| 1988 | Stu Ungar | $210,000 |
| 1989 | Stu Ungar | $205,000 |
| 1990 | T. J. Cloutier | $240,000 |
| 1991 | Jack Keller | $52,250 |
Preston vs. Ivey
By 2000, Preston had won four WSOP bracelets in total. He very nearly had a fifth were it not for a certain Phil Ivey. Ivey would go on to win 10 bracelets of his own, but his first came after defeating Preston heads-up in Event #14: $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha. Preston still banked $97,500, the second-highest cash of his career.
Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Event | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Event #5: $10,000 NLHE WSOP Main Event | $80,000 |
| 1974 | Event #5: $1,000 NLHE | $11,100 |
| 1985 | Event #8: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | $85,000 |
| 1990 | Event #11: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | $142,000 |
WSOP Main Event Winners 1970-79
| YEAR | ENTRIES | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 54 | Hal Fowler | United States | $270,000 |
| 1978 | 42 | Bobby Baldwin | United States | $210,000 |
| 1977 | 34 | Doyle Brunson | United States | $340,000 |
| 1976 | 22 | Doyle Brunson | United States | $220,000 |
| 1975 | 21 | Brian Roberts | United States | $210,000 |
| 1974 | 16 | Johnny Moss | United States | $160,000 |
| 1973 | 13 | Walter Pearson | United States | $130,000 |
| 1972 | 8 | Thomas Preston | United States | $80,000 |
| 1971 | 6 | Johnny Moss | United States | $30,000 |
| 1970 | 7 | Johnny Moss | United States | N/A |
Picture courtesy of HTTP://gaming.unlv.edu/WSOP