Poker player profile
Date of birth
08/02/1981Name
Bertrand GrospellierPseudonym
ElkyNationality
FrancePlace of residence
France
Biography and performances
Bertrand Grospellier, better known as Elky is one of, if not the greatest French player in the history of the game. A "Pro Gamer" and Starcraft champion in his youth, Elky has enjoyed a successful conversion to poker, racking up performances and millions all over the planet.
Starcraft champion
Bertrand Grospelier was born in Melun on 8 February 1981. Introduced to video games by his older brother, Bertrand soon dreamed of becoming a "pro gamer". A career that would be unthinkable in France, Bertrand left for South Korea, where video games are considered a national sport. He quickly became one of Star Craft's top players, joining some of the world's best teams and building up a championship record in the "Brood War" edition. His name ElkY is inspired by the World Of Warcraft character "Elkantar".
Transition to Poker
The transition to poker came in 2005. "ElkY" cut his teeth in Sit&Go, multi-table relentlessly, until becoming the first player to achieve Supernova status on Pokerstars. His presence in the room, his horde of fans and his appetite for the game would catch the eye of the online room, which sponsored the player from 2006.
From 2007 onwards, Elky began to 'crush'. He revealed himself at the EPT Copenhagen, where he finished runner up behind Magnus Petersson for almost $400,000. The following year, he reached his first WSOP final table in a $2,500 event and then broke the bank in 2008, winning the EPT "PCA" in the Bahamas for $2 million. That same year, he followed that up with a $10,000 final table at the Grand Rendez vous Paris and then a juicy win at the WPT Las Vegas for $1,411,000.
In the world's elite
The ElkY phenomenon is launched. Bertrand will then string together results to establish himself as one of the best days of his generation. He held up the Bahamas again in 2009, this time taking the High Roller for $433,000, won the BPT Lille and the Haussmann Trophy in Paris in 2010 and then in 2011, two High Rollers at the same EPT Madrid, for a combined $1 million. A few weeks later, he picked up his first WSOP bracelet in the Seven Stud Championship, with the added bonus of a 3rd place in the $10,000 6-max, for $777,000 in two tournaments. Bertrand Grospellier thus becomes the first French player to win the triple crown (1 title on each of the major circuits, EPT, WSOP and WPT), a feat that only eight people have achieved in the history of poker.
Becoming one of the most fearsome players on the circuit, stringing together performances with disconcerting regularity, ElkY continues to rage on the Live circuit to this day. His biggest win came in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop at the 2017 WSOP, where he finished 2nd to Doug Polk for $2,278,000. In 2019, he achieved another feat at the WSOP Europe at King's Casino in Rozvadov, his new Poker Room of choice, by winning the €550 Colossus in front of a field of 2,177 players.
ElkY also appears in several TV shows, writes various books on the game, including the "Kill Elky" trilogy. No. 1 in the GPI rankings in 2011, Bertrand Grospellier is No. 1 on the French All-Time Money List, with more than $14 million accumulated in his career.