Rupert Elder

Rupert Elder is an English professional poker player born and residing in Bury St Edmunds, England. After graduating from Warwick University with a degree in Economics, he turned professional in 2009. He is best known online under the screen name "ElRupert" on PokerStars, though he also uses nicknames such as TheMothEater, COFFEEMAN, and Mr. MarkUp. Elder's early live tournament success came quickly, and by 2011 he had already established himself as a force in European poker.

Elder's career-defining victory came in May 2011 at the European Poker Tour (EPT) main event in San Remo, Italy. He won the tournament for €930,000 (approximately $1,355,488 at the time), defeating German professional Max Heinzelmann heads-up. This remains his largest live cash and placed him on the all-time money list. Two years later, at EPT Berlin in April 2013, he added another title by winning the €1,100 turbo event for €49,800, once again beating Max Heinzelmann heads-up. Elder has a total of five EPT money finishes and one title.

Elder has cashed seven times at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). His deepest run came in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, where he finished 132nd for $54,851. That performance earned him significant ESPN television coverage as he navigated through the massive field. He also placed 18th in the $2,500 six-handed event at the same series for $25,769. In January 2013, Elder traveled to Australia and won the inaugural event of the Aussie Millions festival, taking home 250,000 AUD ($263,925) after defeating a field of 1,338 players. His live tournament winnings exceed $1.9 million, ranking him 80th on the England all-time money list.

In addition to live success, Elder has been a prolific online tournament player, amassing over $1.1 million in online earnings according to PocketFives.com. Notable results include a runner-up finish in the Full Tilt Poker Million-Dollar Guarantee in October 2010 for $142,846, and a fifth-place finish in the PokerStars Sunday Million in April 2012 for $59,770.

Elder was also a pioneer in poker streaming on Twitch. At one point he was the most popular poker player on the platform, and he held the record for the largest ever live-streamed tournament win of $124,000. He became widely known for a memorable incident where he ate a moth live on stream, which contributed to his cult following.

In recent years, Elder has continued to play poker both live and online while also working in the sports betting industry. He attended BetBash, a sports betting conference in Las Vegas, and documented his experiences in a blog post titled "Only Happens In Vegas." In that post, he described playing $1/$2 and $1/$3 cash games at various Las Vegas venues, including the Venetian, Encore, and Golden Nugget. He noted that the Encore offered particularly juicy games without excessive promotional deductions. Elder remains an active member of the poker community, known for his analytical approach and willingness to embrace new opportunities. His total live earnings stand at $1,975,823, with a best live cash of $1,355,488. He is ranked 1,435th on the all-time money list (as of 2025).