Adam Friedman: Five-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner and Mixed-Game Specialist
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Adam Friedman is a five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner whose career has become closely associated with mixed-game excellence. His defining achievement came in the WSOP $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship, where he won the same event in 2018, 2019 and 2021 to complete an unprecedented three-peat.
Friedman’s résumé extends well beyond that run. He won his first bracelet in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo in 2012, added a fifth in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship in 2022 and has continued producing results across mixed games, stud variants and no-limit hold’em.
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Friedman with $5,198,815 in live tournament earnings and a career-best live cash of $312,417. The World Series of Poker lists him with five bracelets and no WSOP Circuit rings.
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Who Is Adam Friedman?
Adam Friedman is an American professional poker player from Gahanna, Ohio. The Hendon Mob lists Gahanna as both his birthplace and residence, while his tournament record shows a career spanning more than two decades.
Although Friedman has recorded notable no-limit hold’em results, his reputation has been built primarily in mixed games. Dealer’s Choice, Seven Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game and other multi-discipline formats have produced many of his most important tournament accomplishments.
His ability to compete across numerous poker variants is central to understanding his career. Dealer’s Choice tournaments in particular require players to navigate a rotating menu of games rather than specialize in a single format, rewarding breadth of knowledge and the ability to adapt quickly.
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The 2005 WSOP Main Event Breakthrough
Friedman’s first major live tournament result came at the 2005 WSOP Main Event. He finished 43rd from a field of 5,619 entries and earned $235,390, immediately giving him a significant result on poker’s biggest stage.
The run also put Friedman in front of a national television audience during ESPN’s coverage of the Main Event. An official WSOP retrospective later described the finish as his breakthrough in poker.
The result became the starting point for a long tournament career rather than an isolated deep run. Friedman continued playing both tournaments and cash games while expanding his experience beyond no-limit hold’em.
That versatility became increasingly visible at the WSOP. He finished third in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event in 2011, earning $121,437, before breaking through for his first bracelet the following summer.
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Adam Friedman Wins His First WSOP Bracelet
Friedman captured his first WSOP bracelet in 2012 in the $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8-or-Better event.
The tournament attracted 212 entries and generated a $996,400 prize pool. Friedman defeated Todd Brunson heads-up to claim the bracelet and $269,037.
The victory established Friedman as more than the player remembered from his 2005 Main Event run. He had now won a championship in a technically demanding split-pot stud format against a field that included experienced mixed-game professionals.
His results continued across different disciplines. In 2014, Friedman reached the final table of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event, finishing sixth for $200,440. According to the World Poker Tour, Friedman has one WPT Main Tour final table but no WPT title.
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The Historic Dealer’s Choice Three-Peat
The defining stretch of Friedman’s WSOP career began in 2018.
He won the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed Championship for his second bracelet and $293,275. Dealer’s Choice requires competitors to play across a wide selection of poker variants, making the championship one of the clearest tests of all-around mixed-game ability on the WSOP schedule.
One year later, Friedman returned and successfully defended the title. He defeated Shaun Deeb heads-up in 2019 and earned $312,417, which remains the largest live tournament cash listed on his Hendon Mob record as of September 2026.
The WSOP did not hold its traditional Las Vegas series in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the live series returned in 2021, Friedman entered the Dealer’s Choice Championship as the winner of its two previous editions.
He won again.
Friedman defeated Phil Hellmuth heads-up for $248,350 and his fourth bracelet. PokerNews reported that no player had previously won the same WSOP event three consecutive times.
The three victories came against fields of 111 entries in 2018, 122 in 2019 and 93 in 2021. Winning once demonstrated Friedman’s mixed-game skill. Defending the title twice turned the event into the signature accomplishment of his career.
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Fifth Bracelet in Seven Card Stud
Friedman added another major mixed-game accomplishment at the 2022 WSOP.
He entered the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship and defeated a 96-entry field to collect his fifth bracelet and $248,254. Jean Gaspard finished runner-up, while Phil Ivey placed third.
The victory gave Friedman bracelets in both Stud Hi-Lo and traditional Seven Card Stud in addition to his three Dealer’s Choice titles.
His five WSOP bracelet victories are:
2012 $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8-or-Better — $269,037
2018 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed — $293,275
2019 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed — $312,417
2021 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice 6-Handed — $248,350
2022 $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship — $248,254
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A Career Built Around Mixed Games
Friedman’s tournament record makes his mixed-game specialization clear. His bracelet victories cover stud and Dealer’s Choice, while other deep finishes have come in H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game, triple draw, Omaha variants and additional mixed formats.
Dealer’s Choice may be the strongest expression of that versatility because competitors must understand numerous games and choose formats strategically. Friedman’s three consecutive championships established a WSOP record that separates his career from players whose success has been concentrated primarily in hold’em.
His continued success outside the WSOP supports the same reputation. In February 2025, Friedman won Event #2 of the PokerGO Tour Mixed Games series, a $5,100 8-Game tournament at the PokerGO Studio. He defeated a 148-entry field for $170,200.
PokerGO Tour identified the victory as Friedman’s third career PGT title.
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Career Earnings and Major Tournament Results
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Friedman with $5,198,815 in live tournament earnings. That figure is subject to change as new results are added to the database.
His largest recorded live cash is the $312,417 he earned for defending the WSOP Dealer’s Choice Championship in 2019.
Unlike many players whose career-best score comes from a single enormous no-limit hold’em result, Friedman has accumulated his earnings through a long series of strong finishes across multiple disciplines.
His tournament record also includes the $235,390 run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, the $200,440 WPT L.A. Poker Classic final table in 2014 and numerous high-level mixed-game results.
The WPT lists Friedman with no Main Tour championship victories. The WSOP lists five bracelets and zero Circuit rings.
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Recent Results and Current Activity
Friedman has continued competing well beyond his fifth bracelet victory.
At the 2025 WSOP, he reached two notable championship final tables. He finished seventh in the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship for $43,483 and sixth in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $53,201.
Those finishes came only a few months after his $170,200 victory in the PGT Mixed Games $5,100 8-Game event.
His most recent live cash currently recorded by The Hendon Mob came at the 2026 Cincinnati Poker Open. Friedman finished runner-up in the $1,500 Main Event on March 30, earning $72,150 from the $500,000 prize pool.
Those recent results show that Friedman remains an active tournament player capable of producing deep finishes in both his traditional mixed-game specialties and no-limit hold’em.
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Why Adam Friedman Matters in Poker
Friedman’s place in poker is defined less by one enormous payday than by sustained success in games that demand broad technical knowledge.
Five WSOP bracelets already place him among a relatively small group of multiple-bracelet champions. More distinctive is how those bracelets were won. Four came in championships centered on stud or multiple poker variants, and three came through consecutive victories in the same Dealer’s Choice event.
That three-peat remains the clearest marker of his career. Tournament poker contains many repeat champions, but successfully defending the same WSOP bracelet event twice created a record that had not previously been achieved.
His later results have reinforced rather than replaced that identity. Friedman continues to appear at mixed-game final tables while also showing that his tournament range extends into no-limit hold’em.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Adam Friedman have?
Adam Friedman has five WSOP bracelets. He won his first in 2012, added Dealer’s Choice titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and captured his fifth in the 2022 $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship.
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What is Adam Friedman best known for?
Friedman is best known for winning the WSOP $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship three consecutive times in which the event was held: 2018, 2019 and 2021. PokerNews reported that he became the first player in WSOP history to win the same event three straight times.
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How much has Adam Friedman won in live poker tournaments?
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Adam Friedman with $5,198,815 in live tournament earnings. Tournament earnings totals can change as additional results are recorded.
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What is Adam Friedman’s biggest live tournament cash?
The Hendon Mob lists Friedman’s largest live cash as $312,417, earned for winning the 2019 WSOP $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship.
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Does Adam Friedman have a WPT title?
No. The World Poker Tour lists Friedman with zero Main Tour wins. His best-known WPT result is a sixth-place finish in the 2014 WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event for $200,440.
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Does Adam Friedman have any WSOP Circuit rings?
No. The WSOP currently lists Friedman with five bracelets and zero Circuit rings.
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Is Adam Friedman still active in poker?
Yes. Friedman has continued recording tournament results in recent years. He won a PokerGO Tour 8-Game event in 2025, reached two $10,000 WSOP championship final tables that summer and finished second in the 2026 Cincinnati Poker Open Main Event for $72,150.