Perry Friedman, far and away one of the most beloved poker players this century, passed away on Sunday at the age of 55 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
One of founding members of the “Tiltboys” poker group, Friedman was a math and computer genius. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Stanford University, where he met fellow Tiltboys Rafe Furst and Phil Gordon, among others.
Friedman had a great career going at tech giant Oracle, but left to become the first employee at online poker startup Full Tilt Poker, or more specifically its software development arm, Tiltware LLC. Both Gordon and Furst joined him and all three became part owners of the company. He was not, however, involved in the financial shenanigans that eventually led to the company’s downfall and civil charges against several Full Tilt principals. In fact, he, Gordon, and Furst fought against the shady practices (though Furst was targeted by the DoJ as a Board member).
the life of the table, a guy everyone was always happy to see
The Tiltboys, and Friedman, Gordon, and Furst, in particular, made their names in the poker world through both their success on the felt and their fun-loving nature. Friedman, especially, was known as the life of the table, a guy everyone was always happy to see, even if they knew he would likely take their chips.
Among Friedman’s poker accomplishments were a WSOP bracelet in 2002, $1.1 million in live tournament earnings, and a two-decade WSOP cash streak from 2002 to 2023.
In a tweet, Phil Hellmuth said, “Perry was a great guy, by all accounts, who was always smiling, joking and infecting others w his contagious laughter. He would bring things like ‘lighted hats,’ Tuxedos, and ‘sock puppets’ to the table. He would unleash the sock puppet in the middle of a hand against you!”
Perry Friedman even convinced Hellmuth that there was skill in Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Good friend Cyan Banister wrote, “My dear friend Perry Friedman passed away last night and he was known for writing ‘obituperrys’ which were often ‘too soon’ and humorous takes on people who have passed. I’ll try to figure out one for him that is fit for who he was, but for now, I’ll just say, Perry, it’s your move. Dying as an excuse not to make the next move? Classic.”
And with that, Banister posted a screen shot of their Words With Friends game that will forever remain unfinished.
Poker Pro Allen Kessler shared a message from Perry Friedman’s father, a high school teacher. Among the effusive praise and overall awe he had for his son was the following: “As a high school teacher, I have attended more than 30 graduations. I have never heard a more rousing cheer before or after any valedictorian speech than Perry’s.”
He later added, “Those who knew him, immediately realized that he was the funniest, kindest, and loving person they had ever met.”
On a small personal note, when Full Tilt Poker launched, I was very new to poker and was excited to have a chance to play at the same tables as famous pros. As it turned out, Perry Friedman was the first pro I ever sat with. We chatted a little in a text box and he was very welcoming – and this was just at a play money table!
Years later, I wrote an article – I don’t remember what it was about and can’t find it – in which I relayed this little anecdote, a blip in time that nobody except me would ever remember. Perry not only read it, but sent me a message thanking me for the kind words. He was that kind of guy.
I, along with everyone at Poker News Daily, send heartfelt condolences to Perry Friedman’s family and friends.
Image credit: Facebook / Perry Friedman