Bill Perkins

William Osborne Perkins III was born on February 2, 1969, in Jersey City, New Jersey. His father, Bill Perkins, was a criminal defense attorney and former New York Jets running back, while his mother was a schoolteacher. He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa, where he walked on as a defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team.

Perkins began his career as a trainee on the New York Mercantile Exchange in 1991. He moved to Houston in 1995 during Texas electricity deregulation, trading derivatives for firms including El Paso Energy, Statoil, and AIG Energy Trading. In 2002, he joined John D. Arnold's hedge fund Centaurus Energy, profiting from trades that contributed to the collapse of Amaranth Advisors. After Centaurus shut down in 2012, he founded Skylar Capital, an energy trading hedge fund managing approximately $500 million in assets as of 2023.

Perkins is an avid poker player who describes himself as an amateur, despite having over $5.4 million in live tournament earnings. His best live cash came at the 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London, where he finished 6th in the £1,050,000 Charity Invitational for $2,684,000. At the 2013 World Series of Poker, he placed 3rd in Event #47: $111,111 One Drop High Roller, earning $1,965,163. Other notable results include a 4th-place finish in the EPT London Super High Roller ($464,943) and an 8th place in the 2019 PCA $50,000 NLH ($117,980). He has also appeared in cash games such as PokerStars Big Game and high-stakes TV shows.

Perkins is famous in the poker community for his large prop bets. He made a $200,000 body fat prop bet with Doug Polk in 2025 and also struck a weight loss bet with Shaun Deeb that resulted in an $800,000 buyout. These bets often involve physical challenges and large sums, adding to his reputation as a high-stakes gambler.

In 2022, Perkins purchased Ernie Barnes's painting "The Sugar Shack" for $15.3 million at auction. He contributed $1.5 million to the construction of the William O. Perkins III '86 Athletic Center at St. Peter's Preparatory School. He also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Virgin Islands for a $5 million tax refund in 2017.

Perkins has two daughters from his previous marriage to Stephanie Park. He married dancer Lara Sebastian in July 2022.

In 2020, Perkins published the book Die with Zero, which advocates for spending money on experiences rather than hoarding wealth. His philosophy reflects his approach to both life and poker: enjoying the moment and taking risks.