The Last of the Veterans: How an Alaskan Fur Trader Conquered WSOP Final Tables

May 2026, Las Vegas. Sitting at the final table of Event #21: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo is an elderly man. He is 90 years old. Young players wear hoodies and headphones, looking at him with absolute reverence. This is Perry Green — a man who fought on the World Series of Poker battleground back when half this table wasn\'t even born.

In 2026, he officially became the oldest player in poker history to reach a WSOP open final table, locking up 6th place for $30,973. But this veteran is famous for more than just his longevity. 45 years ago, he was one of the most dangerous, heavy-hitting players inside the legendary Binion’s Horseshoe, coming incredibly close to halting the run of the greatest genius the game has ever seen.

The Fur Trader

Green never considered himself a poker pro. Living in Anchorage, Alaska, he ran the state’s largest fur company. Poker was merely a hobby for him — albeit a highly expensive one.

Against a backdrop of cowboys in stetson hats and smoke-shrouded high rollers, Perry stood out. A devout Orthodox Jew, he strictly refused to play on the Sabbath and always sat at the table in his traditional kippah. Yet he executed an incredibly disciplined, academic, and fearless brand of poker, earning deep respect from "old guard" legends like Doyle Brunson and Johnny Moss. Green captured his first WSOP bracelet in 1976 in a Lowball event. In 1977, he secured his second. And by 1979, he captured his third
in classic No-Limit Hold\'em.

Armed with three gold bracelets, Green was primed for the ultimate battle of his life.

The Clash of 1981

Photo: Ulvis Alberts

In 1981, the $10,000 WSOP Main Event drew a field of just 75 runners, but they represented the absolute elite of global poker. Green sliced through the field to the final table, crushing top-tier opponents along the way. In 3-handed play, he sent Texan Gene Fisher packing: Fisher committed his stack with a set of kings, but Green called off with a diamond flush draw, hitting his card on the river to bust his opponent. Ultimately, Perry Green stood heads-up in the tournament of a lifetime against the reigning world champion, the 27-year-old phenom Stu "The Kid" Ungar.

However, this legendary showdown almost never happened. Days before the start, reigning champion Stu Ungar took a massive hit in a high-stakes cash game and, in a fit of rage, spat at a dealer. Outraged owner Benny Binion immediately threw the troublemaker out, banning him from the WSOP. The tournament would have lost its marquee attraction had Benny\'s son, Jack Binion, not intervened. He convinced his father that, for the sake of media coverage, Ungar had to be pardoned.

The heads-up battle was a monumental billing for the early \'80s industry. On one side stood Ungar: an aggressive, volatile genius with a photographic memory and "alligator blood," as Johnny Moss put it. On the other was Green: a composed, cool-headed 44-year-old businessman from Alaska playing purely for the thrill of the game.

The Fatal Hand

Applying relentless pressure, Green chipped away at Ungar, eventually seizing the chip lead. Whispers rippled through the rails that the fur trader was on the verge of pulling off the biggest upset of the century. But then destiny intervened, delivering one of the most brutal and highly debated coolers in Main Event history.

In a crucial pot, Green entered with 10♣️2♣️. The flop fell: J♦️ 9♣️8♣️. Green was staring at a massive spot: his ten-two had flopped a monster combo-draw. Ungar led out with a bet of 65,000. Perry did not hesitate and shoved over the top. Green expected to see panic or an instant fold from Stu, but "The Kid" snapped him off in a heartbeat. 

Ungar turned over A♣️J♣️. He held top pair jack along with the nut flush draw, completely crushing Green\'s club outs. The equity was merciless to the Alaskan businessman, leaving him with just a 20% shot at the pot. No help arrived on the turn or river. Ungar scooped the massive pot, establishing an insurmountable chip lead. In a cruel twist of irony, Green lost with 10-2 — the exact hand his close friend Doyle Brunson had used to win back-to-back world championships.

In the final hand of the tournament, Ungar raised pre-flop with A♦️Q♠️, and Green defended with 10♣️ 9♦️. On an 8♥️ 7♦️ 4♠️ flop, Green jammed his remaining chips into the middle with an open-ended straight draw. Ungar made a cold-blooded call with ace-high. The 4♠️ turn and Q♦️ river sealed Ungar\'s second consecutive title, leaving Perry Green with a runner-up finish and $150,000 in prize money.

A Lifetime in the Game

That historic heads-up match perfectly illustrated the clash between two completely different philosophies of poker and life. Stu Ungar chose total immersion in the game, becoming an icon of the poker world with an incredibly brilliant but tragically short career. Perry Green, however, epitomised a vastly different path — that of a highly successful businessman for whom poker remained a fierce passion, but never his entire world. He returned to Alaska to his beloved wife, Gloria, continued running his fur business, and raised his children and grandchildren. Throughout the decades, Green never lost his connection to the game: he regularly returned to Vegas, steadily building a live tournament record that now stands close to the $1.2 million mark.

Some 45 years after that legendary duel, Green once again stepped inside the Horseshoe casino for the 2026 WSOP.

Outlasting a grueling Omaha Hi-Lo field of 828 runners, the 90-year-old Perry Green battled his way onto the final table of six! He officially set the record as the oldest player in the history of the game to make a WSOP open event final table. The veteran ultimately bowed out in 6th place for $30,973, receiving a standing ovation from everyone in the room.

Photo: Poker.org

When PokerNews reporters asked Green what keeps driving him to fly to Vegas at his age, he simply smiled:

"I don\'t play golf and I can\'t do sports. But poker is the best exercise for my brain. This game keeps me young. And remember: play for the fun of it, cherish life, and love your family — that is the ultimate win."