Walter Threadgill

Walter Threadgill, Jr. was born on September 12, 1928 in the United States and graduated from Forest High School in Dallas. He started a home renovation business in Dallas in his early years, purchased a farm in Tioga, Texas in the 1960s, and moved to Gainesville in 1980 to run an oil business for his son. Threadgill loved poker and began playing professionally in the early 1980s, sustaining his poker skills for 30 years.

Threadgill was active in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), cashing eight times from 1985 to 2003, with five final table appearances. His best WSOP result came in 1995 in Event #16: $2,500 Limit Texas Hold'em, finishing third for $46,500. Other final table results include fifth in the 1985 $1,000 Limit Omaha ($5,550), sixth in the 1997 $3,000 Limit Texas Hold'em ($20,265), and sixth in the 2003 $1,500 Limit Texas Hold'em Shootout ($11,000). He also placed 10th in the 1987 WSOP Main Event ($10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em) for $12,500. His career WSOP earnings total $112,167.

In 1996, Walter Threadgill and his two sons, Matthew and Mark, were indicted by a federal grand jury for operating an illegal gambling business in Gainesville, facing 14 counts including illegal gambling (18 U.S.C. § 1955), money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956), and others. Evidence showed that Threadgill had been a bookmaker since the early 1980s, and after the Texas oil crisis, his sons joined, growing the operation into a large gambling ring handling millions of dollars in wagers annually. In 1999, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions and sentences (U.S. v. Threadgill, 172 F.3d 357).

Threadgill had five children: Matt, Carrie, Toni, Mark, and Terri. He lived with his former wife Ann and later with his second wife Norma. He stopped playing poker in 2014 due to health reasons and passed away peacefully on June 23, 2016 at the age of 87. He loved animals, and his family suggested donations to the "Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary" in lieu of flowers.