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Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier Ends Partnership with GGPoker

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier Ends Partnership with GGPoker
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Alex Sakuta Content Editor
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: March 5, 2025 · 2 minutes to read

He announced the end of his partnership with the poker room on Twitter today. To mark this occasion, we’ve put together five interesting facts about Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.

Fact 1: Became one of the first ambassadors to join the GG Team in 2020

Before that, he was a PokerStars ambassador from 2007 to 2018 and represented partypoker from 2018 to 2020.

Fact 2: “ElkY” is a great dancer

You’ve definitely seen his dance during final table entrances in GGPoker tournaments.

The dance went viral and was even recreated offline. Check out the moves performed by GGPoker Entertainment Ambassador Greg Goes All In at APT Vietnam.

Fact 3: The nickname “ElkY” came from Starcraft character Elkantar

Bertrand Grospellier played Starcraft professionally before he got into poker. Since his last name was difficult for friends to pronounce, the nickname stuck.

Elki was a professional Starcraft player before discovering poker (source: liquipedia.net)

Fact 4: Set a record for the most tournaments played in an hour on April 28, 2009

The photo below shows the moment the record was set, with 28 tournaments running simultaneously on the screens in front of “ElkY”. The maximum number Grospellier has played in that hour was 36 Sit&Go’s simultaneously. Bertrand was able to control such a flow thanks to his experience as a professional StarCraft player – according to him, the game allowed him to develop his visual-motor coordination to a fairly high level.

Grospellier finished 62 Sit & Go tournaments, earning a $23 profit.

Fact 5: Stepped into the ring for a kickboxing match against Lex Veldhuis

Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Lex “RaSZi” Veldhuis agreed to a match in 2009, but they were only able to face off in the ring in 2011. Each of them put up €50K. They agreed to fight for five rounds of three minutes each. Elbows and headbutts were prohibited.

“Elky” had been practicing kickboxing since 2009, while “RaSZi” had boxed as a teenager.

A recording of the match is still available on YouTube. No spoilers here, but here’s one of the most upvoted comments:

“Elky blocked every punch with his face. That was impressive.”

Fact 6: Dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, a chemist, or a Formula 1 driver in his youth

But eventually fell in love with poker. Poker led him to travel and explore the world, and eventually he became one of the most recognizable players in the industry.

Source of the main photo: PokerRed

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