Perry Friedman, Sachem Class of ‘86 Valedictorian, Professional Poker Player, Dies
Perry Friedman was a special student when he was one of Sachem’s first Gifted and Talented elementary kids. He solidified his impact in the school district as the valedictorian for Sachem’s Class of 1986, one of the biggest and most successful graduating classes of that era. He died in January after his fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.
Though he was admitted to every school he applied to, including Harvard, Brown, MIT, and Duke, he chose Stanford where he worked on his bachelor’s and master’s in five years. He majored in computational science.
He had many gifts and talents, but garnered national attention as a professional poker player, winning the 2002 World Series of Poker $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event. He made seven other final tables and placed at several events over the last 20 years, including most recently at the 2022 World Series of Poker.
He is referred to as one of the most colorful characters of the “Poker Boom,” and was a founding member of the “Tiltboys” alongside notable players, Phil Gordon and Dave Lambert.
Professionally he worked at IBM, Oracle and Tiltware in the Bay Area.