Thomas Austin Preston Jr., or “Amarillo Slim” as we know him, began playing poker at the age of 25 in 1953. Before the big tournaments like the World Series of Poker made poker popular, Preston travelled the country looking for high-stakes games with Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts.

He won the 1972 WSOP main event and added three other bracelets over the years, with his last coming in 1990. He hosted the Second Annual Poker Classic which became the now-defunct Super Bowl of Poker.

He’s had numerous television appearances which include The Tonight Show 11 times, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, I’ve Got a Secret, The Tomorrow Show, Panorama, Georgia Today, and A. M. Los Angeles.

Slim’s autobiography entitled Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People was released in 2003 and chronicles his high-stakes games against the best and most famous players of the era.

According to the US Internet Movie Database, a movie focusing on the life of Thomas Austin Preston Jr., better known as Amarillo Slim, professional poker player and lifetime gambler, is in production.

The film is currently categorized as “in production,’ has been in development for some time now. Nicolas Cage, who will be playing the lead role of Amarillo Slim, is credited as a producer along with Braxton Pope.

Christopher Wilkinson, whose credits as screenwriter include “Nixon,” and “Ali,” both biopics, is adapting Amarillo’s book, “Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People: The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived,” for the big screen.

Amarillo Slim, during his career has won a total of four WSOP bracelets (1972, 1974, 1985, 1990) and has won over $590,000 in tournament play. Slim was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.