Some great poker trivia,
poker stories, poker myths and poker
quotes.
A famous misquote
- what Amarillo Slim really
said.
Poker legend Amarillo "Slim" Preston is often
quoted as saying that if a woman ever won the
World Series of Poker, he would slit his own
throat. Playing in the 1973 Main Event, Slim
watched a rather annoying woman named Vera
Richmond announce that she was going to win
the event. When she asked Slim what he thought of
that, he said that if she won he would slit
his throat. Thankfully for Slim, she did not win!
When the
WSOP first started in the 70?s the ratio of men to
women was 200 to 1. For the long time
players, poker was still a man?s
game. Doyle Brunson was once asked if he ever
played ?a top notch female player?. His answer was
typical, ?Naw, I don?t believe there is such
a thing.? Slim Preston went furthur,
he said ?I?ve got an agreement with the
ladies: if they agree not to play poker, I?ll
agree not to have any babies.?
Vera Richmond, a cosmetics heriess, had
a big bankroll and a big reputation as a
tough player. When she found she had
the chip lead at the midpoint of the 1973
WSOP Main Event, an event that Slim had won the
prior year, she was feeling pretyy confident, even
a bit cocky
During a media meet, where Slim was
being interviewed, Vera broke in and asked,
?Mr. Slim, what do you think about a lady getting
a hold of that many chips?!? Slim offered a very
politically correct; especially give the poker
times, response, ?I think it?s great.? Failing to
goad him, which many believe was her
intent, she continued by boasting ?Well, it?s
a certainty that I?m gonna win this World Series!?
Whew! The gauntlet had been tossed! Slim
had to reply, and with the media waiting, he
turned to her and said ?Vera if you can win
the WSOP you can take a dull knife and cut my
throat.? The reporters present may have misheard
the remark, or perhaps wanted to spice it up, so
it came out as ?If a woman ever wins the WSOP I?ll
cut my throat.?
What had been intended to be a clever retort,
had been changed to a sexist slur!
