Player Update: ElkY

Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier is having quite a start to 2009.

The Frenchman’s ridiculously lucrative year continued over the weekend when he made a very deep run in the high-profile NBC Heads-Up Championship at Caesars Palace, busting with 4 players remaining to pocket a very nice $125,000.

Grospellier was eventually eliminated by Vanessa Rousso (who went on to lose to Huck Seed in the final match-up) but knocked out John Juanda & Phil Hellmuth en route as he took home the biggest prize of the ‘online’ brigade. The likes of Peter ‘Isser’ Eastgate, Vanessa Selbst, Ilari ‘Ziigmund’ Sahamies & Tom Dwan all participated in the tournament, with ‘durrrr’ (12th, $25,000) the only other internet player to make the money. (Dwan was ironically taken down by Hellmuth, after the Poker Brat was sucked out on with 1010 vs AA versus the same opponent last year).

We are only in the 3rd month of 2009 but ElkY has already accumulated live tournament prizes of over $700,000 for the year, putting him at the forefront of any early mentions for player of the year. In January he started off by taking down the $25,000 High Roller Event at the PCA for $433,500 before going deep at another High Roller Event at the EPT Deauville just 2 weeks later! He finished 3rd in the €20,000 buy-in tournament for a further $101,839. He then cashed in the L.A. Poker Classic Main Event (32nd, $38,085) before yet another cash in a Wynn Classic Event, finishing runner-up in the $500 NLH for $25,414.

Poker News covered the Heads-Up Championship and their reporters described the two key hands that cost ElkY most of his stack in the semi-final, both with his trademark play stamped all over them:

“All the money went in on a flop of    between Bertrand Grospellier and Vanessa Rousso. Rousso had the best hand, , but Grospellier had the best draw with . Grospellier would take the pot, and the match, with any diamond, any queen, or any seven. The turn paired the board and the river blanked  , giving Rousso a huge double-up. She now has the chip advantage against Grospellier.”

Before this happened:

“The entire crowd rushed the back table after Vanessa Rousso and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier got all the chips in preflop. Rousso's hand,   , had the lead on Grospellier's . Neither player improved on a flop of  , but the turn was a perfect drama card. It fell , drawing a dramatic gasp from the crowd. Rousso had top pair but Grospellier picked up a flush draw. With everyone craning to see the table, the dealer burned and turn a blank, the , for the river.”

Clearly Grospellier is absolutely on fire at present and is undoubtedly one of the most feared tournament players anywhere right now – it would be no surprise to see him continue this red hot streak into the 2009 WSOP.

The full 2009 NBC Heads-Up Championship cash list is displayed below:

1      $ 500,000    Huck Seed     
2      $ 250,000    Vanessa Rousso     
3      $ 125,000    Sam Farha     
4      $ 125,000    Bertrand Grospellier     
5      $ 75,000      Daniel Negreanu     
6      $ 75,000      Phil Hellmuth     
7      $ 75,000      David Oppenheim     
8      $ 75,000      David Williams     
9      $ 25,000      John Juanda     
10    $ 25,000      Paul Wasicka     
11    $ 25,000      Scotty Nguyen     
12    $ 25,000      Tom Dwan     
13    $ 25,000      Kenny Tran     
14    $ 25,000      Erick Lindgren     
15    $ 25,000      John Phan     
16    $ 25,000      Glen Chorny