Full Tilt co-creator and main programmer Perry Friedman DD at 55 from pancreatic cancer

[Dan Druff]

I didn't know Perry Friedman. I only knew of him.

However, what I did know of him was that he was a nice, upbeat guy, and one of those really brilliant math/computer types. He was the tech guy among the original founders, and was the first hire at the company in 2003. He led the development of their excellent proprietary software. He was on the original board of Full Tilt, along with Howard Lederer, Ray Bitar, Chris Ferguson, and Phil Ivey.

When Full Tilt stole everyone's money and then couldn't pay players after 2011's Black Friday, I suddenly had a much more negative view of everyone major involved with Full Tilt, including Friedman.

I was happy to hear some years later that there were two loud objectors to Full Tilt's shady business practices. One of them was John Juanda, and the other was Perry Friedman. Both of them felt that CEO Ray Bitar -- the guy most responsible for the thefts from and mismanagement of Full Tilt -- was not qualified, and loudly stated so.

At the end of 2006, Friedman attempted to lead a vote to remove Bitar as CEO. The vote was not successful, and Friedman quit the board. He stated that Full Tilt had become too large and too complex for its current leadership to handle, that Bitar was incompetent, and that huge problems were coming down the road.

Boy, was he ever correct.

Rafe Furst took his seat on the board. Friedman was not on the board when the thefts started.

I'm not sure when Friedman got his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. That's got to be the worst thing you can possibly hear at the doctor's office. Pancreatic cancer is a death sentence. It kills quickly, does not respond well to chemo, and its cause is unknown. 25% of the people who get it are smokers, but the other 75% get it for seemingly no reason, including Friedman and Steve Jobs. 99% of people at stage 4 are dead within 5 years, most of them sooner than that.

Friedman was still actively playing poker. He had 6 cashes at the 2022 WSOP, and three at the 2021 WSOP. He cashed once in 2023 -- at the $1500 PLO8. I have to imagine he was in bad physical shape by then, and probably played fewer events. He won a $1500 O8 bracelet in 2002, just before the poker boom began.

RIP

[Dan Druff]

Here is a post from one of Friedman's parents from Facebook. Very sad to read, as you can tell they are devastated to have lost their son at a young age like 55.

You can see from this how smart the dude was.

[hutmaster]

One of the original members of the Tiltboys

[DJ_Chaps]

HE WAS THE GUY THAT DREW THE LIL MOUTH ON HIS HAND RIGHT?

[Texter]

HE WAS THE GUY THAT DREW THE LIL MOUTH ON HIS HAND RIGHT?

I think you have him mixed up with Senor Wences

[Texter]

Why did Phil Gordon leave FT?

[tyde]

[NickyPipes]

RIP that was a nice tribute Druff

[tgull]

I think about pancreatic cancer time to time. I dramatically cut back on drinking because that triggers pancreatic cancer. Although not 100% diagnosed as certain the 100% trigger for pancreatic cancer is smoking. Patrick Swayze before his death (when his wife effectively left him after he got it) said smoking since age 18 created his pancreatic cancer.

I am sad to say this will also kill Tyde, his relentless Lucky Strike non filtered Heaters.

[tyde]

some of us are blessed with longevity through good genes

all my relatives on both sides of my family live well into their 90’s going back generations

I’m in remarkably good shape for my age and can’t even remember the last time I got sick

oh and I’m not a fat fuck staying very active and eat like royalty most of the time

sorry to disappoint you bottomset, but I’m gonna be on this planet a lot longer you think, so get used to it pal

selfishly I always quietly celebrate when some random person younger than me drops dead…like this poker guy Perry or Matthew Perry or some poor schmuck that OD’d on fentanyl or got hit by a bus

I should be dead 1/2 dozen times already anyway, so I’m freerolling this shit like a BOSS

[BartHanson]

I’m in remarkably good shape for my age and can’t even remember the last time I got sick

You should watch out for the JN.1 strand that's going around this winter. It's serious business. And I know you're not boosted, Tyde.

[Dan Druff]

some of us are blessed with longevity through good genes

all my relatives on both sides of my family live well into their 90’s going back generations

I’m in remarkably good shape for my age and can’t even remember the last time I got sick

oh and I’m not a fat fuck staying very active and eat like royalty most of the time

sorry to disappoint you bottomset, but I’m gonna be on this planet a lot longer you think, so get used to it pal

selfishly I always quietly celebrate when some random person younger than me drops dead…like this poker guy Perry or Matthew Perry or some poor schmuck that OD’d on fentanyl or got hit by a bus

I should be dead 1/2 dozen times already anyway, so I’m freerolling this shit like a BOSS

I believe Perry's parents are both alive, so it wasn't bad genetics.

In fact. while there is thought to possibly be a genetic factor to getting pancreatic cancer, it has been discovered that the genes causing it are a result of mutations after birth. Some of those mutations are thought to be simply a matter of bad luck.

The truth is that being over 50 is basically an exercise of being lucky enough to dodge all the various things that can kill you.

[Sanlmar]

The truth is that being over 50 is basically an exercise of being lucky enough to dodge all the various things that can kill you.

The luck has always been more relevant on the front end - not the back end of a life cycle

Human longevity over thousands of years has had a pattern where if you survived to 30 humans where likely to sail another 40. This is remarkable but true.

It has always been more difficult to survive to adulthood than into old age. Infant mortality and childhood diseases etc.

The above has always been my understanding. Prove me wrong, bruh.

Ironically, there is no purpose to living past 50 as your children are typically adults by that point. Biologically, you serve no purpose past 50.

Western fertility recently has gotten kinda wack but as soon as trans men conquer the pregnancy hurdle we’ll be back on track.