PAUL “CIGAR” MCKINNEY WORLD’S OLDEST WSOP WINNER ARRESTED IN KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE

Kingsport, Tennessee Police Chief Gale Osborne has the dubious distinctions of having arrested the World Record Holder for ‘oldest player to win a World Series of Poker event’. Paul “Cigar” McKinney was 80 years young when he won the No-Limit Hold’em Seniors event at the Rio Resort in Las Vegas during the 2005 WSOP. McKinney outlasted a field of 825 players in the $1,000 buy-in tournament to take down the $202,725 winner’s purse and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. He played mistake free poker during the 2 day event then survived a 3 hour heads-up dual with runner up Bob Hume. Quite a feat of poker for any player, an extraordinay performance for an octogenarian.

Unfortunately, William Paul McKinney’s luck ran out Friday when the Kingsport police acted on a “concerned” citizen’s tip and raided a poker game in progress where they found 16 poker players playing poker. “Cigar” McKinney, now 82, could be facing felony charges as one of the organizers and promoters of the game.

Chief Wiggins Osborne was apparently quite proud of cuffing the 16 poker players and making Kingsport a safe community once again. He used the opportunity to solicit more “tips” from concerned residents by stating the importance of the public to spy and report on their neighbors with the following quote, “It takes all of us, it’s not just (police). It’s vital that we have the eyes and the ears of the community to partnership with us.” Of particular interest is another quote from the Chief, “Whether it’s drug activity or gambling or domestic abuse…” In Kingsport poker players are grouped with drug dealers, wife beaters and child molesters.

I wonder if the Chief’s neighbor spy ideas came from reading Mien Kauf?

Sample the public-at-large comments for this bust at PocketFives.com.