One of the legends of the pre-Internet poker age has died. Amarillo Slim Preston has gone to meet the Great Dealer in the sky at the age of 83.
Along with Doyle Brunson, it is probably fair to say that Amarillo Slim was one of the last remaining poker greats before the advent of on-line gambling. Between 1972 and 1990 he won no less than 4 World Series of Poker bracelets, the first two for No Limit Hold ’Em.
In this maddest form of poker, a player can be busted out of a tournament or broken in just one hand. Check out the screengrabs below to see just how mad it is.
Slim liked to wear a big hat and talk a lot at the tables, something he regretted when he came to England and fell foul of the ludicrous moody rule. What appear to be fairly comprehensive results for his tournament play can be found on the Hendon Mob’s website.
Poker is a game that has thrown up many larger than life characters, but they didn’t come any larger than Slim.
He also contributed to poker theory, and was robbed more than once away from the poker table, including at gunpoint during a home invasion five years ago. There sure are some brave people out there.
Thomas Austin Preston, Junior, born Johnson, Arkansas, December 31, 1928; died Amarillo, Texas, April 29, 2012.
Quad aces crush pocket 5s in a points freeroll on Party Poker, May 2, 2012.
May 2, 2012: the moron makes a minimum raise when the small blind calls, and calls his all-in, a massive underdog. Fortunately, this was a freeroll with a points buy-in.
Compensation for losing with pocket jacks. This tournament was played the same night, May 2, 2012, on Party Poker, and saw our hero finish runner up in the $6 Seven Card Stud.
The Wiliam Hill Sunday Facebook Freeroll, April 8, 2012. At Hold ’Em if you flop a king flush you’ve as good as won the pot. Most of the time!
Party Poker, April 10, 2012: a shocking bad beat. On the flop, the loser was entitled to believe he would be splitting the pot. Alas, these type of sickening suckouts are all too common on-line.
[The above obituary was first published May 3, 2012; the original wasn’t archived.]
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