Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier was born on February 8, 1981, in Melun, France. Before entering the poker world, he gained international fame as a professional StarCraft: Brood War and Warcraft III player under the alias "ElkY". He was one of the top-ranked StarCraft players globally, placing second at the World Cyber Games in 2001 and fourth in the 2002 Ongamenet Starleague after moving to South Korea to pursue his passion. In 2003, he won the Euro Cyber Games championship. He also achieved success in Warcraft III, finishing second in the televised Ongamenet WarCraft Retail League in 2002. His experience in real-time strategy games honed his fast decision-making and strategic thinking, skills he later applied to poker.

Grospellier transitioned to professional poker around 2004-2005. He quickly became an online sensation, particularly on PokerStars. He was the first player to reach both the "Supernova" and "Supernova Elite" statuses on the platform, earning 100,000 player points in just two weeks and 1,000,000 points in four and a half months. He also set a Guinness World Record for the most single-table sit-and-go tournaments played in one hour (62 at $6.50 buy-in). His online success laid the foundation for his live tournament career.

Grospellier is one of the few players to achieve poker's Triple Crown—winning titles on all three major tours: the World Series of Poker (WSOP), World Poker Tour (WPT), and European Poker Tour (EPT).

World Series of Poker His first WSOP bracelet came in 2011 in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, earning $331,639. He won his second bracelet in 2019 at WSOP Europe in the €550 Colossus event, defeating a field of 2,738 players for €191,172. His largest WSOP cash came in 2017 when he finished second in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop, earning $2,278,657. Other notable WSOP results include a third-place finish in the 2011 $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Championship ($447,074) and a sixth-place finish in the 2012 $3,000 Six-Handed event ($68,738).

World Poker Tour Grospellier won his WPT title in October 2008 at the Festa al Lago tournament in Las Vegas, taking home $1,411,015. He also finished third in the 2008-2009 WPT World Championship ($776,245), and had other cashes including a 13th place at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star ($37,780) and an 8th place in Marrakech ($30,699). His total WPT earnings exceed $2.3 million.

European Poker Tour On the EPT, he finished second in the 2007 Copenhagen Main Event for €309,000. In January 2008, he won the EPT PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure (PCA) Main Event for $2,000,000, which also counted as an EPT title. He also won the EPT5 $25,000 High Roller side event in 2009 for $433,500. In total, he has five first-place EPT finishes, four of which came in side events.

Grospellier has amassed over $15.4 million in live tournament earnings, ranking him among the top French players historically. He maintained the number-one spot on the Global Poker Index for 18 weeks between July 2011 and October 2012. He represented Team PokerStars from 2006 to 2018, then became a partypoker pro until 2020, and later a GGPoker ambassador from 2020 to 2025. He has multiple final-table appearances at the WSOP, WPT, and EPT. In 2015, he returned to esports briefly by joining Team Liquid as a Hearthstone player.

Grospellier is known for an ultra-aggressive, loose-aggressive (LAG) style that puts constant pressure on opponents. His background in real-time strategy games gives him an edge in rapid decision-making and adaptability. He frequently raises pre-flop and continues with aggressive post-flop bets, using his reading ability to exploit weaknesses. He is also a skilled bluffer capable of multi-street bluffs. His style has influenced many aspiring players.

Grospellier resides in Prague, Czech Republic as of 2024. He is known for his signature sunglasses and fashionable attire at the tables. He has contributed to poker education through strategy articles and training videos. His successful crossover from esports to poker has made him a trailblazer, inspiring a generation of players from gaming backgrounds. His total live earnings exceed $15.4 million as of February 2025, with 47 WSOP cash finishes and numerous other accolades.