When people hear of poker and hats, most come to think of Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. Both are widely known as legends of poker as well as book writers. If you had to compare the two, Slim may not be quite as successful as Doyle, but nevertheless a very interesting character who has succeeded well in the poker industry.

Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Jr was born in December 31, 1928 in Johnson, Arkansas. He lived in Mineral Wells, Texas until his parents divorced and then moved in with his father in Amarillo, Texas. He graduated out of high school and joined the military for a couple of years. After doing the service, he met up with Brian Roberts and Doyle Brunson, who became good friends and started to gamble and educate each other.

The “poker trio” commenced with all sorts of gambling and travelled from town to town to make a buck or two. In fact, if there was anything that would give them an edge over their opponents, they’d gamble over and over again.

Full Tilt Poker Bonus CodeSlim did not settle down with gambling. In the 50s, he married Helen, “the greatest gamble in life”, as he called it. 20 years later and a whole lot of poker, he watched Johnny Moss with envious eyes as he became the first and second winner at World Series of Poker. Slim decided to claim the position as the world’s best poker player and did so in 1972. Since then, he has collected a total of four WSOP bracelets, including a win at the 1974 No Limit Texas Hold’em. For his efforts Slim was added to the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.

Being one of the greatest profiles in history of poker, Amarillo Slim finally decided to settle down with gambling. In August 2003 a grand jury indicted on three charges of indecency with his grand daughter. This may have prompted Amarillo’s gambling in public to an end, seeing as a lot of players met him with disgust after the tragic event.

No matter what people may say about Slim, he has proven himself to be an excellent contributor to the world of poker. His book, Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, is a definite source to many of some priceless tips on how to become a good gambler and an interesting take on, well, Amarillo Slim in person. Look for him in Texas, but don’t expect to find him in any live tournament. If we have to guess, you’ll probably find him in Doyles Room, along with his friend Doyle Brunson.