Adam Bilzerian

Adam J. Bilzerian (, born 1983) is an American poker player and writer. Early life Bilzerian, the son of Armenian-American corporate takeover specialist Paul Bilzerian and his wife, Terri L. Steffen, grew up in Florida. He has one brother, Dan Bilzerian. He attended Gaither High School, where he represented his school in tennis. On June 11, 2001, FBI agents raided the Bilzerian residence in Tampa, Florida, in relation to charges of market manipulation against Paul Bilzerian. A neighbour described the raid as "pure intimidation". Paul Bilzerian would be held in prison and was not permitted to attend his son's high school graduation. In the aftermath, Bilzerian would question his dream of becoming an Army Green Beret; in press interviews, he asked, "How can you go in and fight for your country when this is what they're doing to [your father]?" He went on to study at Vanderbilt University, earning a B.A. in history. Here, he witnessed the 2004 United States presidential election which he reportedly saw as a bad sign and began to look into emigrating from the U.S. and establishing himself abroad. In 2007, he purchased a residence in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the following year went on to become a citizen of the country, relinquishing U.S. citizenship in the process. In 2018, he obtained Armenian citizenship.