The best French poker player of recent years will play at the Tournament of Champions World Series of Poker.

This special event of the 2010 WSOP edition, by invitation only, will bring together 25 WSOP bracelet holders elected by the public on the internet and two more players selected from special satellite tournaments.

And the satellite that Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier won was really special as it included seven other strong players who do not yet have a WSOP bracelet: Paul Wasicka, Liv Boeree, Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Gus Hansen, Sorel Mizzi and Gavin Smith. Plus the celebrity poker player Don Cheadle, included for his poker charity contribution.

Bertrand Grospellier took over on its eight opponents to win the ticket to the TOC, the largest freeroll in the world with a gigantic prize pool of one million dollars and a first prize of $500,000 for the winner. The 25 elected players are selected from the pool of 521 bracelet holders and chosen by the public. All this is somehow similar to reality TV, where talent and popularity are mixed to lead to an enormous prize for the winner of the contest.

On June 27th Bertrand will battle with other great poker names like Annie Duke, Joe Cada, Mike Sexton and Mike Matusow. Bertrand Grospellier is an extraordinary poker player and it does not come as a surprise that he participates in this Hall of Fame tournament.

There were 3 stages in ElkY’s gaming prowess. First he was a world-level StarCraft online gamer living in Korea. Then he became one of the best online poker players in the world, being the first SuperNova Elite player at pokerstars, not one of the easiest poker sites. Bertrand is holding a World record in the Guiness book for the most online sit and go tournaments played profitably in one hour (62). And finally he became a fantastic live tournament poker player.

Despite his young age, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier has already won some prestigious tournaments such as the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure (EPT) and Festa al Lago tournament (WPT). It is time to add a WSOP bracelet to his list of trophies, is it not?

The WSOP Uncovered

Las Vegas is the epicenter of bricks and mortar gambling – with all manner of card, table and video slot games ruling the roost. But deep in the heart of Vegas beats the pulse of Poker. This is the game that pundits the world over are all too eager to play. The 2010, 41st annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) is soon to kick off and the anticipation is extraordinary.

Come Thursday May 27, 2010 the Rio Hotel and Casino is going to be abuzz with activity. The good news is this majestic Poker tournament lasts until Saturday July 17, 2010.

The WSOP was first held in 1970 at the Horseshoe Casino at the behest of Benny Binion. Ten years later there were 52 participants. By 1987 there were over 2,000 participants in the series. To think that number quadrupled by 2006 to 8,773 players is astounding.

Players can count numerous worldwide tournaments sponsoring big Poker paydays and the like. But the WSOP is the benchmark of Poker excellence. The winner of each event receives the coveted WSOP bracelet and a huge cash prize. Naturally the Main Event bracelet is the most sought after prize in the game.

But what makes the WSOP most enthralling is the feature event – the $10,000 NL Hold’em Main Event. This is Poker at its most riveting. Harrah’s Entertainment plays host to this prestigious event and as the days begin to count down, the anticipation reaches fever pitch levels.