Congratulations to Bertrand Grospellier, Winner of Event #21: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship ($331,639)
In what was an epic, nearly four-hour heads up battle, Bertrand ��ElkY�� Grospellier is the last man standing and the latest WSOP bracelet winner. After being down to less than 200,000 and at a nearly 24:1 deficit when the limits were 50,000-100,000, ElkY managed to storm back to take the lead against his heads up opponent Steve Landfish. The two exchanged the lead on numerous occasions afterwards but ElkY came through and win his first WSOP bracelet and the $331,639 that goes with it.
The day started with 14 players and we quickly lost several notables including Jason Mercier and Ville Wahlbeck. Sorel Mizzi and Men Nguyen were also knocked out while Nick Schulman lost moments after Nguyen and was the final table bubble boy.
Landfish, who entered the day as the chip leader, was near the top of the leaderboard for the final day all the way down to the final table. Chris Tryba was quickly eliminated at the final table while Kevin Tang, Chad Brown and Alexander Kostritsyn followed suit.
A key moment for Grospellier at the final table was when he doubled through Brown. Brown was ahead with a pair of aces on third and continued to stay ahead when he made two pair on sixth against the two pair and flush draw of ElkY. However Elky nailed a to give him a diamond flush and the key double up.
John Hennigan entered the final table with a slight lead over Landfish but came in fourth after he took a big hit at the hands of Landfish and third place finisher Maxwell Troy, who had a very impressive run at the final table, in back to back hands.
When heads up play began, Landfish held a 2,260,000 to 1,520,000 lead over ElkY. Landfish quickly built on that lead and had ElkY extremely short. Amazingly, ElkY came all the way back to take the lead without even having been all in against his heads up opponent up to that point.
The two traded the chip lead back and forth until Grospellier landed a dramatic double up. He was all in on fourth and ahead with two pair, tens and eights. Landfish held a pair of kings but failed to improve as ElkY survived.
ElkY went on to take the lead, then give it back, but once he finally reclaimed it, that was all he would need.
On the final hand, Landfish was all in and at risk with / while ElkY held / . Grospellier made a pair of fives on fourth but Landfish picked up a flush draw. ElkY stayed in the lead on fifth while Landfish made a pair of fours. ElkY made two pair on sixth while Landfish failed to improve and when ElkY hit a full house on seventh, Landfish was drawing dead which gave ElkY the win.
The win gives ElkY the triple crown to go along with his ��08 WPT Championship win for $1,411,015 and his PCA win for $2,000,000 earlier that year. He is this WSOP��s second triple crown winner after Jake Cody and the fourth winner overall.