Who is BOC? Toward a motive for the Vegas massacre (Updated: Identifed!)

The investigation into Paddock's motivation has turned up only one important new clue (that is, only one that has been made public): He wired $100,000 to the Philippines, where his girlfriend is staying. This makes sense: Knowing ahead of time that he would not survive his Vegas trip, he wanted to make sure that his lady was provided for.

So we know that the man planned ahead of time. But we still don't know why he did it.

Let's toss out the right-wing conspira-crap -- ISIS! Antifa! Soros! -- and look at matters afresh.

First: We know that Paddock is a high-rolling gambler, the kind who gets comped nice rooms at big hotels. Many articles have stated that he favored video poker. He had bragged that he actually makes money at this "profession."

Of course, most who make that boast tend to speak only of their wins; they refuse to mention their losses. The odds always favor the house, especially when it comes to computer games like video poker. I'm no gambler, but I know that video poker can be "won" only in the sense that skillful play can keep hourly losses to a reasonable level.

A man who gains an expert knowledge of video poker will inevitably develop an interest in real poker, played against actual human beings. Real poker, however, is a game of skill. The very best players profit.

It makes sense that an affluent video poker player would eventually seek human opponents. I'm thinking of the kind of high-stakes game we discussed here and here.

What I'm about to say may or may not be related to the Paddock controversy, but I'll say it anyways. Am I the only one who recalls that Donald Trump has involved himself with the world of poker?

Beyond the fact that Trump allegedly divested himself of his business interests, isn't it a little unseemly for the President of the United States to be listed as the owner of a company called Poker Venture Managing Member Corp, which filed in Nevada?

This company is related to another enterprise called simply Poker Ventures, whose listed address is 725 5th Avenue, New York, NY -- Trump Tower.

(Yes, that earlier piece referenced an article written by -- don't run away -- Louise Mensch. In that case, Mensch buttressed her points with links that actually went somewhere. For once, she was on to something real.)

Trump apparently was fronting for a high-stakes gambling operation run by Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov (Tok-ta-KOON-off), a Russian mobster called "Little Taiwan" because he looks Asian. Vegas was one base of operation; Trump Tower was another. The poker parties attracted all sorts of high-stakes players, including Ben Affleck -- whose involvement in this world seems to have adversely affected his life.

Am I saying that Paddock was part of this milieu? No. We have no information to that effect. I point to the Trump/Tokhtachounov operation simply to introduce you to a world unknown to most mortals.

That said, I must ask: Would you be entirely surprised to learn that Paddock had dipped a toe or two into that world? Given what we know of the man (and his claim to make money from poker) the idea is certainly less outrageous than Alex Jones' insane rantings linking Paddock to Antifa.

By this point, you are probably wondering: How does all of this help us understand why Paddock fired on that music festival?

I have to admit: It is extremely distasteful to attempt to find logic behind so monstrous an act. Nevertheless, one must attempt to look at the matter in the fashion of Jonny-Lee-Miller-as-Sherlock. Usually, our first and best question is "Who benefited?" -- but in this case, our first question must be: "Who was hurt?"

Obvious answer number one: The victims. Obvious answer number two: Mandalay Bay. But I don't think that Paddock was motivated by animus toward the people he killed or toward the hotel.

The Route 91 Harvest Festival itself was hurt. The wound may, in fact, be mortal.

Do you think that this annual festival will take place next year? Doubtful. If it does happen, it will certainly not be the same event.

So my question now is: Who runs the Harvest Festival?

I doubt that Paddock wanted to destroy a cultural event per se. I posit he wanted to destroy the life's dream of one man -- a man he had, for whatever reason, come to hate.

Please understand that I'm at the very beginning stages of my research; the thoughts zooming through my noggin simply were not there 50 minutes ago. My initial burst of research has been stymied by the fact that the Harvest Festival website is effectively offline, save for a page expressing all due shock and horror over the events in Vegas. The proprietor communicated largely via Facebook -- and as regular readers know, I steer clear of social media.

Initial googling revealed only that the event was run by someone who uses the initials BOC. The festival was his baby. BOC is well-known to all of the big names in the world of country music.

When one of my readers tells me who "BOC" is, I will probably slap my forehead and curse myself for missing something so ridiculously obvious. Apologies: I'm a classical fan, and I just don't know country.

Right now, my operating theory (which will no doubt morph with every new piece of information) is this: Like many another gambler, Paddock ran into a ruinous losing streak. Something happened to the guy, something that convinced him that his life was effectively over. So he decided to go out with a bang -- exacting revenge on an enemy.

Here are my questions: Is BOC a gambler and did he ever run into Paddock? If not BOC, then did someone else connected with the Festival ever do anything to anger Paddock? Is the Harvest Festival run by someone who -- openly or secretly -- has an intense liking for "the holy game of poker"?

(Bonus points to anyone who can name the film I just referenced.)

Nota bene: This theory is in a very germinal stage, and will probably be proven incorrect within the next few days. If and when counter-evidence arrives, I'll offer all due corrections and apologies. Right now, though, the scenario I have posited is the only one that offers a "mad logic" basis for this insane tragedy.

Update: A reader identified BOC as Brian O'Connell. There is a torunament-level poker player by that name in Ireland; not the same guy. Here is a piece featuring "our" Brian. Check out the photo.

A well-known Brian O'Connell wrote a piece for a bio-pharmaceutical website which argues that poker players are the best investors. The author clearly demonstrates that he has intimate knowledge of the world of high-stakes poker. Here's his author bio:

Celebrity author and business/finance commentator for CNN and Fox News, Brian O'Connell has written for The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek

And here's his photo:

Same guy...?

If the man who ran the Harvest Festival and the man who shot up the Harvest Festival both had intimate knowledge of the world of high stakes poker -- well, I'd call that a reasonable avenue of investigation.

Update II: Sorry. Looks like Brian O'Connell the concert promoter and Brian O'Connell the stock-trader-turned-writer are not the same person. They just happen to resemble each other in those two photos.

I'm quickly learning as much as I can about BOC, promoter extraordinaire.