Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier Wins PCA High Rollers Event
In a field thick with WSOP bracelet winners, EPT champions and assorted superstars, one man stood alone at Atlantis last night. In the same casino where he nabbed $2 million last year as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier took down another prestigious tourney – this year's $25,000 High Rollers Event. Grospellier bested a field that included Eric Seidel, Ivan Demidov, Dario Minieri, Joe Hachem and dozens of other poker superstars to take the top spot and the $433,500 top prize.
After a 15-hour Day 1, Bill Edler bubbled the final table, leaving eight top-notch players fighting for the riches. The final table included cash-game superstar Eli Elezra, WSOP bracelet holders Humberto Brenes, Daniel Alaei and Scott Seiver and WPT champ Nick Schulman.
Play kicked off slowly at the final table, as it took nearly two hours for Nick Schulman to become the first casualty. He was followed shortly by Daniel Alaei, but the play slowed again until Eli Elezra and Humberto Brenes both busted just before the dinner break. Grospellier returned from dinner with a full tummy and the chip lead, which he held for a little while until Scott Seiver eliminated Liya Gerasimova in fourth place to move into the lead. Grospellier then turned on the pressure, reclaiming his chip lead with aggressive raises and re-raises, eventually busting Seiver in third place.
Grospellier took almost a 7:1 chip lead into heads-up play, and it took only moments for him to put away Canada's Will Molson for the title. Grospellier commented on how much it meant to him to win an event with such a tough field. The former video game pro kicked off 2009 the way he started 2008, with a huge victory in the Bahamas.
The final results from the $25K High Rollers Tournament:
1st - Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier - $433,500
2nd - Will Molson - $228,000
3rd - Scott Seiver - $137,000
4th - Liya Gerasimova - $91,300
5th - Humberto Brenes - $70,800
6th - Eli Elezra - $68,500
7th - Daniel Alaei - $57,000
8th - Nick Schulman - $45,700
