The WSOP winner was a regular and popular fixture at poker events everywhere
One of the most interesting characters during the 2000s, “Poker Boom,” Perry Friedman, passed away on Sunday at the age of 55. He was known as a bold joker at the table, with non-stop chattering and multi-colored hair, and was typically the life of the party.
Friedman was born on May 15, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York, and was a popular World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. He was also a founding member of the “Tiltboys” with Dave “Diceboy” Lambert and Phil Gordon.
A Perry Good Friend:
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… pic.twitter.com/ID9waImZAL
— Cyan Banister (@cyantist) January 22, 2024
Friedman graduated from Sachem High School on Long Island in 1986, later attending Stanford University, where he rode on the cycling team. He received a Bachelor’s in Mathematical and Computational Science in 1990 and his Master’s in Computer Science in 1991. He would later start Pick’em Sports, which was purchased by Internet Sports Network before failing when the Internet bubble burst.
His passing from pancreatic cancer was conveyed on social media and later confirmed by his brother, Rob Friedman, and close friend Gordon.
Perry won a WSOP bracelet in 2002 in Event #3: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo for $176,860, with three WSOP third-place finishes. His most recent was the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $104,416 in 2017. He had $1,055,953 in WSOP cashes, accounting for most of his earnings since 2000 of $1,135,178, according to the Hendon Mob.
In 2005, the Tiltboys released a book titled Tales from the Tiltboys, which was characterized as: “Swingers-meets-‘Rounders.’ Read these true tales of gambling, friendship, and Wednesday night poker. These anecdotes are a testament to just how amusing a life devoted to excess and debauchery can be.”
