Bertrand Grospellier, aka ElkY, (born February 8, 1981) is a French professional poker player and gamer. Already a star in the gaming world, Bertrand Grospellier made poker headlines when he finished first at the European Poker Tour's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
Born in Annecy, Bertrand Grospellier first became enamoured with computer games at the age of three. What started out as an affinity for Pacman evolved into exceptional gaming skills, which placed him firmly at the high end of the gamer community. At 21, having come runner-up at the first World Cyber Games, Bertrand Grospellier moved to South Korea to pursue a professional gaming career. His StarCraft skills soon made him a permanent fixture on the country's three gaming television channels.
A friends then told him about internet playing room PokerStars, and soon Bertrand Grospellier was playing no limit hold'em online. According to him, the competitive, unpredictable nature of poker suited him well. Pace, however, proved problematic. "It's really, really slow, and it's hard to play so slowly when you're used to playing online," he admits. Despite using his speed to play several tables simultaneously when online, ElkY had to learn to restrain it during live tournaments.
The first notable victory for Bertrand Grospellier came at the 2005 French Open. Finishing ninth at the €500 No Limit Hold'em tournament, he went on to play tournaments in Poland, Austria and Denmark. His first American tournament (the 37th WSOP in 2006) saw him finishing a modest 37th. In 2007 he won the more impressive $400,000 at the EPT's Scandinavian Open. The EPT proved a lucky spot the following year, too, when Bertrand Grospellier triumphed over a field of 1,136 to win both first place, a record $2,000,000 - and the distinction of settling straight at the top of France's all-time money list. Grospellier even managed to beat two-time WSOP Main Event winner David Pham. The game itself was an intriguing one; eventually Grospellier managed to call Hafiz Kahn's bluff with a pair of eights. He beat 9/3 offsuit, sending Khan down to second place and winning the tournament.
After winning the 2008 Carribean Adventure, Bertrand Grospellier is firmly established in the professional poker arena. As a member of the PokerStars team, he now has numerous opportunities to perfect multi-tabling - which is evidently his new forte. While he continues to spend several months a year in South Korea, he mainly lives in Paris, and attends all EPT tournaments; he also spends a month or two in poker capital Vegas. With knowledge and abilities gained by years of playing and a much-coveted target in the form of a WSOP bracelet, there is little doubt ElkY will continue playing a major part in 21st-Century professional poker.
Bertrand Grospellier - Landmark Victories
2008 Rendez Vous a Paris
€10,000 Grand Prix de Paris - No Limit Hold'em
05/15/2008 $122,468
2008 European Poker Tour
$7,800 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
01/05/2008 $2,000,000
2007 APPT Macau
$2,500 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event
11/23/2007 $48,576
2007 38th WSOP
$2,500 No Limit Hold'em
06/11/2007 $29,124