- Team PokerStars Pro
- Chris Moneymaker
- Greg Raymer
- Joe Hachem
- Barry Greenstein
- Isabelle Mercier
- Daniel Negreanu
- John Duthie
- Tom McEvoy
- Steve Paul Ambrose
- Vanessa Rousso
- Luca Pagano
- Victor Ramdin
- Lee Nelson
- Bertrand Grospellier
- Humberto Brenes
- Bill Chen
- Katja Thater
- Noah Boeken
- André Akkari
- Dario Minieri
- Hevad Khan
- Raymond Rahme
- Tuan Lam
- Gavin Griffin
- Chad Brown
- Victoria Coren
Team PokerStars Pro - Bertrand Grospellier
Bertrand Grospellier
Bertrand Grospellier is better known by his professional computer gamer ID, "ElkY". He has been living in Korea as a professional gamer since December 2001 and is one of the top ranked 'Starcraft' players in Korea, a real time computer strategy game. ElkY has since transferred these exceptional skills onto the poker circuit, proving himself a star to watch out for at this year's *WSOP.
Bertrand first started playing poker online after a close friend advised he put his gaming skills to the test. His friend frequently played on PokerStars.com, so he gave it a try and instantly enjoyed playing, from the competition aspect, to mind-reading and strategy. "Everything was completely new and I didn't even know the basic rules, but I had fun playing the game all the same."
He has proved just how skillful he is at the game of poker, having qualified for the *WSOP two years in a row, and winning a staggering four seats this year alone. His game style is analytical and strategically aggressive and he is never without his signature Oakley sunglasses. ElkY's other interests include: long distance running, watching movies and exploring the world travelling. He is also fluent in French, English and Korean.
ElkY has an impressive gaming background, having placed 2nd in the first World Cyber Games (the biggest international gaming tournament in the world) in 2001. He has also won numerous tournaments since then, regularly competing in the Korean Pro Gaming leagues which are televised nationally. As the only French gamer out there he has received extensive world wide media exposure, especially in Europe and Asia.
Poker for ElkY has proved much more profitable than gaming. He states: "I could practice 12 hours a day, but if I lost the game, the value would be zero. However, in poker every hour has some benefit, so after 12 hours of poker, if I've played well, then I can say, hey I just made 3k today. For my level of performance, poker was the smarter choice." In addition to much success online, ElkY has also managed to make an impact on the live scene. This culminated in January 2008 when he beat 1,136 other players to win the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, for a first place prize of $2,000,000.
When asked how life as a pro-gamer compares to that of a poker player? ElkY says: "The game is different, but the need to compete and constantly put pressure on yourself to be better is the same. Also being part of the poker community is similar to that of the gaming community. In fact most of my European friends have made the switch from gaming to poker."
* World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with, PokerStars or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.
