Three Amigos

If there are three amigos on the poker playing circuit who are greater than these, I would like to know their names.

I am referring of course to Amarillo Slim Preston, Doyle 'Texas Dolly' Brunson and Sailor Roberts.

These three Texas gamblers roamed the back roads of sleazy joints across the Southwest searching for games before they alighted in Las Vegas. When Doyle decided to publish his life's memoirs in his best selling book ''Super System: A Course in Power Poker,' he contacted Slim at his ranch near Amarillo, Tex.

Writing the preface for Doyle's book, Slim wrote, 'I'd had a hard day branding my registered Maine-Anjous, so I was ready to leave the ranch for some action. My wife Helen said, 'It's Doyle on the phone.' I thought his call might be my chance. Maybe there was a big game going somewhere and the current World Champ needed my help.

'If he did need some, I knew he would be calling because of our past relationship. Dolly, Sailor Roberts and myself had started on the road together as youngsters. For over seven years we played out of the same bankroll, sharing our wins and losses. I doubt if there will ever be three poker partners with the kind of playing talent we had. We sure did play some jam-up poker. Any one of us could pinch-hit for the other when he was tired or just not feeling right. We had been one hell of a team.

'We still remained the best of friends even though we dissolved our partnership. And we didn't do too bad going our separate ways. We'd always be proud of the fact that each of us became the World Poker Champion. Out of the first seven World Series of Poker champions, between us we won it four times. (I won in 1972, Sailor won in 1975 and Dolly took it down in 1976 and 1977.)

When I answered the phone, Dolly said, 'I finished writing a book, Slim, and I wonder if you'd do the preface for me.' Now we're such good friends, I couldn't just say no. A few other poker writers asked me for about the same thing and I turned 'em down. What could they have to say? In order to write a great poker book, a guy's got to be a great poker player. It's the only way.

So I said to Dolly, 'Sure, Pal, send it to me. I'll look it over and tell you what I think.'

I was really surprised when I got the manuscript. I could tell right away it wasn't just another poker book. This baby really gets into things. Doyle writes about the very things he and I used to talk about after our poker games. It's real deep stuff -- poker secrets that very few players in the world know about.'

True words from a true Texas gambler.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).