William Perkins

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

After college, Perkins began as a clerk trainee on the New York Mercantile Exchange in 1991. In 1995, during Texas electricity market deregulation, he moved to Houston to work as a trader and risk manager for several firms, including El Paso Energy and AIG Energy Trading. He later joined Centaurus Energy, a hedge fund founded by John D. Arnold, and played a key role in trades that contributed to the fund's success. In 2012, after Centaurus shut down, Perkins founded Skylar Capital, an energy trading hedge fund that managed approximately $500 million in assets as of 2023. He also participated in a secret poker tournament with other hedge fund managers in 2013, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

Perkins is an amateur poker player who has competed in high-stakes tournaments worldwide. His total live tournament winnings exceed $5.4 million, with 11 recorded cashes (as of recent data). He has no WSOP bracelets but made one WSOP final table. Perkins has also played in events such as the PokerStars Big Game and the Triton series. He is friends with Dan Bilzerian and has stated that he considers himself an amateur, having lost millions in poker. In 2016, Perkins and Bilzerian made a $1.2 million bet on a bike ride, as reported by Card Player.

Major Tournament Results

• 2013 World Series of Poker – Event #47: $111,111 One Drop High Roller – 3rd place, $1,965,163
• 2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London – £1,050,000 No-Limit Hold'em Charity Invitational – 6th place, $2,684,000
• 2013 EPT Season X – London – €? Super High Roller Eight Handed – 4th place, $464,943
• 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure – $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em – 8th place, $117,980
• 2017 PokerStars Championship Bahamas – $25,750 No-Limit Hold'em – 5th place, $92,520

In 2016, Perkins donated $1.5 million to St. Peter's Preparatory School for the construction of the William O. Perkins III '86 Athletic Center. In 2020, he published the book Die with Zero, which advocates for spending money on life experiences rather than hoarding wealth for later years. The book gained significant attention and sparked discussions about personal finance. He also made headlines in 2022 by purchasing Ernie Barnes' painting "The Sugar Shack" for $15.3 million at auction, far exceeding its estimated value of $200,000.

Perkins has two daughters from his first marriage to Stephanie Park. He married Lara Sebastian, a dancer, in July 2022. He resides in Houston, Texas, and continues to manage his hedge fund while occasionally playing poker. Perkins is known for his adventurous lifestyle, including high-stakes bets and philanthropic endeavors.

In 2013, Perkins was among six hedge fund managers who participated in a secret high-stakes poker tournament held in a private venue. The event was reported by the Houston Chronicle, highlighting the clandestine nature of the game. The tournament featured blinds of $100/$200 and a $20,000 buy-in, with players including other prominent fund managers. Perkins' involvement underscored his reputation as both a skilled trader and a fearless gambler.

In the case of Perkins v. United States Virgin Islands, Perkins was involved in litigation related to a yacht charter dispute. The case was archived in Casetext. Details of the case center on damages and contractual issues stemming from a charter agreement. This legal matter illustrates Perkins' engagement in ventures beyond finance and poker.