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Updated: 2026.03.08

Adam Friedman is an American professional poker player from Gahanna, Ohio, who has earned his place as one of the greatest mixed game specialists in the history of the sport. Known for his incredible technical depth and calm focus, Friedman achieved something many thought was impossible by winning the same $10,000 World Series of Poker event three times in a row. He is widely respected as a “poker purist” who prefers the complexity of many different card games over the standard two-card game of Hold’em.

Career Earnings & Biggest Results

According to The Hendon Mob, Adam Friedman has won over $5.1 million in live tournament earnings. His most legendary streak happened between 2018 and 2021 when he won the WSOP $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship three consecutive times. In 2019, he took home $312,417 for the second win in that streak, which remains his largest single live tournament cash.

Friedman is an elite five-time WSOP gold bracelet winner. His first bracelet came in 2012 in a $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event where he won $269,037. His most recent bracelet was earned in 2022 when he won the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $248,254. He is also a champion on the PokerGO Tour, where he won the 2025 PGT Mixed Games 8-Game Mix for $170,200. Most recently, in early 2026, he has continued to travel the global circuit with cashes at EPT Paris and the WPT Cambodia Championship.

Adam Friedman poker — Adam Friedman (photo credit: PokerNews photographer Rachel Kay Winter)

Biography & Poker Background

Born in 1981, Adam Friedman grew up in Ohio and first fell in love with poker while he was a student at Indiana University. His father was also a lover of card games, which gave Adam an early interest in the strategy behind them. He first burst onto the scene in 2005 when he finished 43rd in the WSOP Main Event, a run that was famously featured on the ESPN broadcast. While many players from that era faded away, Friedman spent the next two decades mastering dozens of different poker variants. He is now a fixture in the highest-stakes mixed games in Las Vegas and remains one of the top five all-time money winners from his home state of Ohio.

Play Style & Strategy

Friedman is known for being a complete all-rounder who has no weak spots in his game. In Dealer’s Choice events, where players choose the game being played, he uses his knowledge of all 20 variations to pick the games that his opponents find the most difficult. He often speaks about how “boring” he finds standard No-Limit Hold’em because it only involves two cards, preferring games like Badugi, Razz, and Big O that require much more complex thought. He is a very disciplined player who rarely lets his emotions show, a trait that helped him defeat 17-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth heads-up in 2021 to secure his historic three-peat victory.

Want to follow Adam Friedman as he continues his 2026 run in the PGT, WSOP, and international events? You can track his latest stats and tournament cashes here: