| Bertrand Grospellier | |
|---|---|
 ElkY atKing's Casino Rozvadov in 2020 | |
| Nickname | ElkY |
| Born | (1981-02-08)8 February 1981 (age 45) Melun, France |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelets | 2 |
| Final tables | 6 |
| Money finishes | 47[1] |
| Highest WSOP Main Event finish | 122nd,2009 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title | 1 |
| Final table | 2 |
| Money finishes | 5 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title | 1 |
| Final tables | 2 |
| Money finishes | 18 |
| Current team | |
| Team | Team Liquid |
| Game | Hearthstone |
| Esports career information | |
| Games | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Information last updated on19 February 2016. | |
Bertrand Grospellier (French pronunciation:[bɛʁtʁɑ̃ɡʁopɛlje]; born 8 February 1981 inMelun[2]), also known asElkY/ˈɛlki/, is aFrenchpoker player and formerStarCraft: Brood War andWarcraft IIIesports player. As of February 2025, his total live poker earnings exceeds $15.4 million.[3] He has won twoWorld Series of Poker bracelets.
He has won aWorld Poker Tour (WPT), aWorld Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and aEuropean Poker Tour (EPT) title, giving him theTriple Crown. He is aPartyPoker Pro, and he currently resides inPrague, Czech Republic, as of 2024.[4][5] ElkY maintained the number-one rank on theGlobal Poker Index for 18 weeks between July 2011 and October 2012.[6][7] In November 2015, ElkY returned to the esports scene by joiningTeam Liquid as aHearthstone player.[needs update]
ElkY was one of the top-rankedStarCraft players in the world, having placed second in theWorld Cyber Games in 2001 and continuing his career inSouth Korea for a few years subsequent, including a fourth-place finish in anOngamenet Starleague. By 2002, he picked up the newly releasedWarCraft III: Reign of Chaos and garnered success by finishing second in the televised Ongamenet WarCraft Retail League before retiring.[8]
ElkY turned his attention to professional poker from 2004 to 2005, where he became a full-time poker pro. ElkY was a member of TeamPokerStars. He was the first person to reach "Supernova" and "Supernova Elite" statuses on PokerStars, having earned 100,000 and 1,000,000 player points in 2 weeks, and4+1⁄2 months, respectively.[8]
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. In addition to playing a high number of simultaneous tournaments, he has transferred well to live tournaments and cash games.
On Saturday, 20 January 2007, he finished second in theCopenhagen event on theEuropean Poker Tour for €309,000.[17]In January 2008, ElkY finished in 1st place, winning $2,000,000 at theEuropean Poker Tour's (EPT)PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure.[18][19]A year later, while being knocked out of the main event of thePokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure on day 1, ElkY went on to take home the EPT5 $25,000 buy-in "High Roller" side event for $433,500.[20]
In October 2008, ElkY added to his tournament haul by winning theWorld Poker Tour's Festa al Lago tournament, claiming a $1.4 million first prize.[21] The win marked ElkY's first-ever cash on the WPT. He also became just the third person, along withRoland De Wolfe andGavin Griffin, to win a title on both the WPT and EPT.[4] As a result of his success on the seventh season of the World Poker Tour, ElkY was awarded the distinction of "WPT Player of the Year.[22]
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $15,000 Festa al Lago | $1,411,015 |
ElkY was disqualified from event 29 in the 2008World Championship of Online Poker (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.[23] Two other players (Annette_15 and charder30) had also violated the same rule earlier.[24]
On 18 September 2009, ElkY won his first WCOOP bracelet in event 38.[25] 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 totalled 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 | $263,323 |
Spring Championship of Online Poker Titles
| Year | Event | Tournament | Prize(US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Event 35 | $25,000 Heads-Up NLHE | $112,500 |
ElkY 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 ElkY only the fourth player to win a WPT, EPT and WSOP title.
ElkY won his second bracelet in the 2019 WSOPE, winning the $550 Colossus No-limit Hold'em event.
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship | $331,639 |
| 2019E | €550 Colossus No-Limit Hold’em | €191,172 |
An "E" following a year denotes bracelet(s) won at the World Series of Poker Europe
As of February 2025, his total live poker earnings exceeds $15.4 million.[3]
Today, ElkY is 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 byPeace and Sport, aMonaco-based international organization.[26]
In November 2015, Elky returned to the esports scene by joiningTeam Liquid as aHearthstone player.[27]
