Bertrand Grospellier
Encyclopedia
Bertrand Grospellier also known as ElkY (ˈɛlki) is a poker
player and former pro gamer
from France
who has won a World Poker Tour
(WPT), a World Series of Poker
(WSOP) bracelet and a European Poker Tour
(EPT) title. He is a Team PokerStars
Pro and he currently resides in London, England.
players in the world, having placed second in the World Cyber Games
in 2001 and continuing his career in South Korea
in the years subsequent including a fourth place finish in a Ongamenet
Starleague. By 2002, he picked up the newly released WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos
and garnered success by finishing second in the televised Ongamenet WarCraft Retail League before retiring.
. He was the first person ever to reach "Supernova" and "Supernova Elite" statuses on PokerStars - having earned 100,000 player points in just 2 weeks and 1,000,000 player points in 4 and a half months, respectively.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,400,000.
event on the European Poker Tour
for 309,000 Euros.
In January 2008, Grospellier finished in 1st place winning $2,000,000 at the European Poker Tour
's (EPT) PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure.
A year later, while being knocked out of the main event of the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure on day 1, Grospellier went on to take home the EPT5 $25,000 buy-in "High Roller" side event for $433,500.
's Festa al Lago tournament, claiming a $1.4 million first prize. The win marked Grospellier's first-ever cash on the WPT. He also became just the third person, along with Roland De Wolfe
and Gavin Griffin
, to win a title on both the WPT and EPT. As a result of his success on the seventh season of the World Poker Tour, Grospellier was awarded the distinction of "WPT Player of the Year."
(WCOOP) for agreeing to go all-in blind with another player. This violated the tournament rule which states "Poker is an individual (not a team) game. Any action or chat intended to help another player is unethical and is prohibited." His winnings were forfeited and other places were moved up in the standings to replace his finish. Two other players (Annette 15
and charder30) had also violated the same rule earlier.
On September 18, 2009, Grospellier won his first WCOOP bracelet in event 38. He added a second bracelet only three days later in Event 43 by besting a field of 9,220 entrants. His winnings for both events totaled nearly $500,000.
, a Monaco
-based international organization.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and former pro gamer
Electronic sports
Electronic sports comprises the competitive play of video games. Other terms include competitive gaming, professional gaming and cybersports...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who has won a World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT), a World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) bracelet and a European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
(EPT) title. He is a Team PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
Pro and he currently resides in London, England.
Gaming
Grospellier was one of the top ranked StarCraftStarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
players in the world, having placed second in the World Cyber Games
World Cyber Games
The World Cyber Games is an international competitive video-gaming event operated by South Korean company World Cyber Games Inc., and sponsored by Samsung and Microsoft...
in 2001 and continuing his career in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in the years subsequent including a fourth place finish in a Ongamenet
Ongamenet
Ongamenet is one of two South Korean cable television companies , that specializes in broadcasting video game-related information and matches, which include StarCraft, Warcraft III and others. It is a subsidiary of On-Media, an owner of several cable channels....
Starleague. By 2002, he picked up the newly released WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a real time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment on July 3, 2002 . It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and it is the third game set in the Warcraft Universe...
and garnered success by finishing second in the televised Ongamenet WarCraft Retail League before retiring.
Accomplishments
- 3rd - KBK Jeju (Seoul, South Korea)
- 2nd - World Cyber Games 2001 (Seoul, South Korea)
- 4th - World Cyber Games 2002 (Daejeon, South Korea)
- 4th - SKY 2 Ongamenet Starleague (Seoul, South Korea)
- 2nd - Ongamenet WarCraft Retail League (Seoul, South Korea) [WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos, all others StarCraft: Brood War]
- 1st - Euro Cyber Games 2003 (Paris, France)
- 5th - World Cyber Games 2003 (Seoul, South Korea)
- top 16 - World Cyber Games 2004 (San Francisco, California, U.S.A.)
Poker
He has turned his attention to professional poker the last few years. Grospellier is a member of Team PokerStarsPokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
. He was the first person ever to reach "Supernova" and "Supernova Elite" statuses on PokerStars - having earned 100,000 player points in just 2 weeks and 1,000,000 player points in 4 and a half months, respectively.
Accomplishments
He set the Guinness World Record for most Single Table Sit & Goes played in one hour for a total of 62 at a $6.50 buy in with a profit of $23.60.As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,400,000.
European Poker Tour
On Saturday, January 20, 2007 he finished second in the CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
event on the European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
for 309,000 Euros.
In January 2008, Grospellier finished in 1st place winning $2,000,000 at the European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
's (EPT) PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure.
A year later, while being knocked out of the main event of the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure on day 1, Grospellier went on to take home the EPT5 $25,000 buy-in "High Roller" side event for $433,500.
World Poker Tour
In October 2008, Grospellier added to his tournament haul by winning the World Poker TourWorld Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
's Festa al Lago tournament, claiming a $1.4 million first prize. The win marked Grospellier's first-ever cash on the WPT. He also became just the third person, along with Roland De Wolfe
Roland De Wolfe
Roland De Wolfe is an English professional poker player and a former writer for the poker magazine Inside Edge.After winning first prize in an event at the 2004 Gutshot Poker Festival, he went on to make a money finish in the $1,000 No Limit event of the 2005 World Series of Poker.In July 2005, he...
and Gavin Griffin
Gavin Griffin
Gavin Griffin is an American professional poker player. He attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas....
, to win a title on both the WPT and EPT. As a result of his success on the seventh season of the World Poker Tour, Grospellier was awarded the distinction of "WPT Player of the Year."
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 World Poker Tour season 7 results - Spanish Championship:* Casino: Casino Barcelona, Barcelona * Buy-in: €5,000* 5-Day Event: Friday, May 23, 2008 to Tuesday, May 27, 2008* Number of Entries: 253* Total Prize Pool: €1,278,396... |
$15,000 Festa al Lago | $1,411,015 |
World Championship of Online Poker
Grospellier was disqualified from event 29 in the 2008 World Championship of Online PokerWorld Championship of Online Poker
The World Championship of Online Poker is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It is played on the PokerStars site in September....
(WCOOP) for agreeing to go all-in blind with another player. This violated the tournament rule which states "Poker is an individual (not a team) game. Any action or chat intended to help another player is unethical and is prohibited." His winnings were forfeited and other places were moved up in the standings to replace his finish. Two other players (Annette 15
Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet...
and charder30) had also violated the same rule earlier.
On September 18, 2009, Grospellier won his first WCOOP bracelet in event 38. He added a second bracelet only three days later in Event 43 by besting a field of 9,220 entrants. His winnings for both events totaled nearly $500,000.
| Year | Event | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Event 38 | $530 No Limit Hold’em 1R1A | $232,730 |
| 2009 | Event 43 | $215 No Limit Hold’em | $263,323 |
World Series of Poker
Grospellier won his first WSOP bracelet in the '2011 Seven Card Stud Championship', overcoming a field of 126 to collect $331,639 in prize money. This win made Grospellier only the fourth player to win a WPT, EPT and WSOP title.| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 2011 World Series of Poker The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker . The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada between May... |
$10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship | $331,639 |
Charity
Bertrand Grospellier is today a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and SportPeace and Sport
Peace and Sport, "L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is a neutral and apolitical international initiative based in the Principality of Monaco and placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco....
, a Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
-based international organization.