Friends & Family Remember Amarillo Slim

He was a legend all over the world and was one of the biggest poker playing stars out there!  The legend of Amarillo Slim lives on through many in Amarillo, TX, as he was laid to rest yesterday at Llano Cemetery.

Friends and family paid their respects yesterday at the funeral of the gambling man, and even those that never knew him are well aware of his story, which included induction into the Poker Hall Of Fame.

Amarillo Globe News Reports:

“I’ve never met another man like him,” Johnny Smith said of Thomas Preston Jr., who died Sunday at 83 in an Amarillo hospice. “He was legendary. I grew up with him so I never thought of him that way. To me he was just ‘Slim.’”

Others echoed Smith, who grew up with Slim’s eldest son, Bunky Preston, and came Thursday decked out in some of Slim’s garb, including a jacket from one of the poker tournaments sponsored by the 1972 World Series of Poker champion.

Amarillo Slim was actually a very fascinating man who caught the attention of people all over the world with his poker face.  I think Lady Gaga might have even had him in mind when she wrote that hit song.

He will be deeply missed by more then his friends and family, but his fans as well, as another legend leaves us.

Get more on this story here at Amarillo Globe News.