ElkY biography
Bertrand Grospellier was born in 1981 in Melun, France, and first made his name as one of the top competitive StarCraft: Brood War players in the world, a pursuit that took him to live in South Korea, the epicenter of professional esports, in the early 2000s.
He transitioned to poker in 2003, bringing an esports competitor's discipline and volume-based work ethic to the game, and quickly built a reputation as one of online poker's most prolific grinders, achieving PokerStars' top "Supernova Elite" loyalty tier and setting a Guinness World Record in 2009 for playing 62 Sit-and-Go tournaments in a single hour.
His live tournament career has been similarly decorated: he holds two WSOP gold bracelets, a WPT title, and an EPT title, making him one of a small number of players to complete poker's unofficial Triple Crown, and his largest individual score came as runner-up in the 2017 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $2,278,657.
Now in his fifth decade, Grospellier remains one of the longest-tenured members of Team PokerStars and continues to compete on the high-roller circuit, ranking second on France's all-time money list with earnings surpassing $15.6 million.
Career summary
A two-time WSOP bracelet winner and poker Triple Crown champion with over $15.6 million in career earnings, whose path from professional StarCraft competitor in South Korea to elite high-roller specialist makes him one of the sport's most unusual crossover success stories.
ElkY poker winnings
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Asian Poker Tour Superstar Challenge | 1st | $372,250 |
| 2017 | WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop | 2nd | $2,278,657 |
Verified live tournament earnings: $15,600,000+, plus 2 WSOP bracelets.
2 career WSOP gold bracelets
Career Poker Triple Crown - WSOP bracelet, WPT title, and EPT title
2009 - Set a Guinness World Record playing 62 Sit-and-Go tournaments in a single hour
ElkY playing style
A high-volume, loose-aggressive player renowned for frequent three-betting and relentless technical aggression, a style informed directly by the fast-paced decision-making demands of his earlier professional esports career.
Cash games
A high-volume online cash-game grinder in his early PokerStars years, reaching "Supernova Elite" loyalty status through enormous playing volume before establishing himself in live high-roller tournaments.
Business & sponsorships
Long-tenured Team PokerStars Pro; previously a professional StarCraft: Brood War player in South Korea before transitioning fully to poker in 2003.
ElkY Net Worth
As of November 2026, ElkY net worth is estimated at $10 million or more.
Verified live tournament earnings account for $15.6M of prize money. Sponsorships, business ventures and cash games, covered above, make up the rest of the picture. Tournament prize money is not the same as profit: buy-ins, staking deals and taxes are not deducted, so all net worth figures are estimates based on public reporting.
Why ElkY matters
A former top-tier professional StarCraft player who relocated to South Korea to compete at the highest levels of esports before redirecting that same relentless work ethic into becoming one of poker's most decorated Triple Crown winners.
FAQ about ElkY
What is ElkY's background before becoming a professional poker player?
Before switching to poker in 2003, Bertrand Grospellier was a top-level professional StarCraft: Brood War player who relocated to South Korea, then the center of the global esports scene, to compete at the highest level of the game.
What does it mean that ElkY completed poker's "Triple Crown"?
It refers to winning a title on each of poker's three most prestigious tours, the WSOP, the World Poker Tour, and the European Poker Tour, a feat Grospellier achieved on top of setting a Guinness World Record for online tournament volume in 2009.
How much has ElkY won playing poker?
ElkY has won $15,600,000+ in live tournament earnings.
How many WSOP bracelets does ElkY have?
ElkY has won 2 WSOP bracelets.