Thomas Austin Preston. Six foot four, skinny as a rake. He played poker with two US presidents - and drug lord Pablo Escobar; made a million dollars by the age of nineteen; and drove a golf ball a mile. Thomas Austin Preston - who was he? The world knows him better as the greatest gambler of all time- Amarillo Slim.
Raised in Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo Slim lived the most daring, exciting and profitable life of any man of his time. He ran the biggest black-market operation in Europe, won the World Series of poker in 1972, was celebrated in songs and movies, and his picture hangs in City Hall, Las Vegas. He was a member of four Halls of Fame - and a legend in his lifetime.
Because, most of all, Slim was a man who loved to gamble. He'd bet on anything - if the price was right. He rode a camel through the fanciest casino in Marrakesh and beat Evel Knievel at golf (with a hammer), but that was just the small stuff. In his finest hour, he took on the Chinese table tennis champion at his own game. Slim, of course, got to choose the bat. The choice? Coke bottles. The result? 21 - 0. Slim was a very happy man.
A sensationally entertaining autobiography, this is the story of his extraordinary life - and the secrets of his even more extraordinary success. From Vegas to Colombia, Texas to London, welcome to the wonderful world of Amarillo Slim.
By:
Thomas 'amarillo Slim' Preston Imprint: Yellow Jersey Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 203g ISBN:9780224099929 ISBN 10: 0224099922 Pages: 288 Publication Date:01 August 2014 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Greg Dinkin is the author of The Poker MBA and The Finance Doctor and a columnist for Card Player magazine.