Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier Wins WSOP $10k 7-Card Stud Event

French pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier has won the 2011 WSOP $10k Seven Card Stud Event, after overcoming a field of 126 players over three days to capture a WSOP bracelet, and the $331,639 first place prize.
Commenting later on his remarkable victory, Grospellier said: “I’ve played so many World Series of Poker events and never really came that close for a bracelet. My closest spot was in 2007 at the final so I’ve been waiting for this for five years.”
The top ranked online gamer turned poker pro has been a formidable force in the game since notching up his first live tournament cash in 2005.
A few years down the line and “ElkY” has now added a career first WSOP bracelet to his European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour titles, thus completing an impressive Triple Crown. In addition, the 30 year old has now amassed a staggering $7,721,073 in live career earnings.
If all these statistics weren’t impressive enough, it also turns out that Grospellier hadn’t even played Stud poker before starting the tournament on Sunday. That didn’t seem to bother the poker prodigy much, though, and as he explains:
“I think I caught up quickly and all the poker games are all similar. It’s about reading your opponents and adapting to the situation. Of course I have a lack of experience but sometimes I think it (helped) me because I was playing really aggressive and getting my opponents to fold in some spots where they’re not supposed to fold.”
Amazingly, the only player which Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier eliminated at the final table of eight was his heads-up opponent Steven Landfish. Grospellier battled for over four hours against his heads-up foe before finally relegating the US pro to a runner-up position worth $204,924.
In the meantime, “ElkY” becomes one of just a few high profile names to capture a bracelet at WSOP 2011. Other notable winners so far this year include John Juanda and Eugene Katchalov.