Las Vegas, Nevada The Big Poker Freeze-Out

Three tens sure beat having to work for a living

Players and rubberneckers are four hours into the big, no-limit World Series of Poker freeze-out here at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. Maybe 170 players are left of the 194 who began chasing the $835,000 first prize with $10,000 each in chips. From three tables away, a raspy Texas drawl cuts through the watery green air of Binion's cardroom. Amarillo Slim Preston is telling stories, fogging his opponents with rascally nonsense. Something about beating somebody in 312 straight games of gin rummy. Something about riding a camel through a casino in Marrakech. Preston is a tough, lanky, 61-year-old cattleman in jeans...

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