William O. Perkins III (born February 2, 1969) is an American
hedge fund
A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...
manager,
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and high stakes
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
player from
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. Perkins focuses on
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...
and energy markets. He founded Small Ventures USA, L.P in 1997 and later joined Centaurus Energy in 2002. He currently manages
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
-based energy hedge fund, Skylar Capital.
Perkins grew up in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Bill Perkins and graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School in 1986. In 2016, he contributed $1.5 million towards the construction of the William O. Perkins III '86 Athletic Center at his alma mater.
Bill Perkins is also the author of the book ''Die with Zero'' and hosts a website with tips and tricks related to his philosophy.
Career
Perkins studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
. After graduation he worked under natural gas trader
John D. Arnold
John Douglas Arnold (born 1974) is an American philanthropist, former Enron executive and founder of Arnold Ventures LLC, formerly the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. In 2007, Arnold became the youngest billionaire in the U.S. His firm, Centa ...
for several years before starting his own hedge fund. During his 12-year career, Perkins directed NorthernStar Natural Gas and was the CEO of Cutuco Energy Central America. Perkins actively traded the stock market turning a $1.25 million profit trading
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
in September 2008. In 2009 Perkins became involved in film production, producing various films including '' After.Life'' (2009), ''
Unthinkable
''Unthinkable'' is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Gregor Jordan and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Sheen and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released direct-to-video on June 14, 2010. The film is noteworthy for the controversy it genera ...
'' (2010), and ''
Cat Run
''Cat Run'' is a 2011 American comedy action film directed by John Stockwell.
Plot
Andorran prostitute and single mother Catalina "Cat" Rona is hired to participate in an orgy in Montenegro along with other escorts, for powerful men including ...
'' (2011).
Poker
Perkins is a poker player and has entered multiple events including the
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...
,
Big One for One Drop
The Big One for One Drop is a $1,000,000 buy-in No Limit Texas hold 'em tournament hosted at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Added in 2012, it became the highest buy-in poker tournament in history as well as the largest single payout offered. T ...
, ''
PokerStars Big Game
The ''PokerStars Big Game'', also known as the ''PokerStars.net Big Game'' or simply the ''Big Game'', was a poker television program sponsored by Pokerstars.net originally airing on Fox Network. The program had a tie-in to the Pokerstars North A ...
'',
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was an annual televised poker tournament. The event was first held in 2004 and was originally co-sponsored by PokerStars and the World Poker Tour. In 2008, the event moved from the WPT to the European Poker Tour. ...
and "High stakes poker" as well as ''Poker Night On Wall Street''. Perkins is friends with Dan Bilzerian and they are often seen together.
As of 2019, his total live tournament winnings exceed $5,400,000 of which $1,965,163 have come from his One Drop cash at the WSOP.