Champion of Poker

Perry Green started his working life as a fur trader in Alaska. While he was at various polar outposts, he would play poker with Eskimos and work on honing his poker skills. He eventually took those skills to work at the poker tables in Las Vegas.

Green had his first big success at the 1976 World Series of Poker. He was able to take down the $1,000 Ace to Five Draw Event for $68,300. The next year he came back and claimed his 2nd bracelet in the same game when he took the $5,000 Ace to Five Draw Event. A couple of years later, Green would have a remarkable year at both the Super Bowl of Poker and the WSOP.

First, Green finished 2nd in the $1,000 No Limit Holdem event. After this runner-up finish he went on to claim his third WSOP bracelet when he won the $1,500 No Limit Holdem event. His biggest year would occur in 1981 when he would finish runner-up in the two largest poker events on the planet.

The 1981 Super Bowl of Poker saw Green make the final table of the Main Event. The Main Event of the Super Bowl of Poker was 2nd only to the WSOP Main Event. Green wound up finishing runner-up that to Junior Whited. He would then go on to have a stellar run in the WSOP Main Event. Unfortunately, the opponent he faced heads-up was the great Stu Ungar. Ungar was the current World Champion, and once he got heads-up with Green; he was not to be denied. Green finished in 2nd place, winning $150,000.

Second place finishes seemed to be a theme for Green as he finished 2nd in an A-5 Lowball Event in 1982 and then in the $1,000 Limit Omaha Event at the 1983 World Series of Poker. Green would go on to have numerous solid finishes in his career, including a 5th place finish in the 1991 WSOP Main Event and a 9th place finish in the WPT’s 2003 World Poker Open. He had over a dozen WSOP cashes in the 80’s and 90’s and was a regular face on the tournament circuit. For his career, Green won $838,650 in live events.

Green doesn’t play as much on the tournament circuit as in days past. He has been spending a lot of time trying to get casinos legalized in the state of Alaska. Although facing strong opposition, he believes that gambling revenue can help to strengthen the Alaskan economy.

While Perry Green may not be well known to many, it is clear that “Alaska’s Poker Guru” was still a fantastic player. He did not a multi-million dollar career as many poker champions have had, but he has been a part of some of the great final tables in history. Whether well known or not, anyone that has a resume as impressive as Green’s should be paid attention to and remembered as a champion of poker.