Eli Elezra

Eli Elezra

Eli Elezra

WPT:1

GPI:1,108

$5,602,531

Eli Elezra poker player profile. Get latest information, winnings and gallery.

Profile

Name
Eli Elezra
Nationality
Israel
GPI Rank
1,108
WPT Wins
1
Total Live Earnings
$5,602,531

Biography

Eli Elezra is one of the most instantly recognizable poker players in the world, thanks to him enjoying a long and illustrious career going back to the mid-1990s. The five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner is equally adept at tournament poker as he is at high-stakes cash games.

Elezra was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021.

Background

Elezra was born November 24, 1960, in Jerusalem, Israel, and has lived a colorful and varied life. Like many Israelis, Elezra served in his country's army, donning the uniform id the Israel Defence Force's Golani Brigades, one of the country's elite military units. Elezra spent three weeks in prison for refusing to comply with military orders but went on to become a lieutenant.

A leg injury sustained during the 1982 Lebanon War curtailed Elezra's military career. Elezra learned more about poker while he was in the hospital recovering from his injuries. He moved to the United States following his discharge from the army.

Alaska was Elezra's first port of call. Here he had several jobs, including working in the thriving Alaskan fish industry, he drove a taxi for a while, before heading to Las Vegas where he became the owner of a successful film-developing business.

Now flush with cash from his business interests, Elezra began playing more poker in and around Las Vegas. he initially focused on the lucrative cash games but soon found he had a penchant for tournament poker.

His first WSOP cash came in 1999 when he finished seventh in a $2,500 Limit Omaha event. Since then, Elezra has cashed more than 70 times in WSOP events, winning five gold bracelets along the way. Bracelet number one came at the 2007 WSOP in the $3,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. Elezra has since added another four bracelets to his collection.

Eli Elezra WSOP Bracelets

YearEventPrize (USD)
2007$3,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo$198,984
2013$2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Limit$173,236
2015$1,500 Seven Card Stud$112,591
2019$1,500 Seven Card Stud$93,766
2022$10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship$611,362

The $611,362 prize that accompanied Elezra's fifth bracelet win was the second-largest tournament score of his career. Only the $1,024,574 he captured for winning the $10,200 Mirage Poker Showdown World Poker Tour event in 2004 is larger.

Poker Hall of Fame Induction

Elezra was immortalized in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021, beating off stiff opposition from the likes of Mike Matusow, Michael Mizrachi, Layne Flack, Bertrand Grospellier, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, and Ted Forrest.

If you are something of a bookworm, PokerNews recommends checking our "Pulling the Trigger" Elezra's autobiography that Robbie Strazynski translated into English.

PokerNews Covered Events

EventPlacePrize
2023 World Series of PokerEvent #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty86th$4,897
2023 World Series of PokerEvent #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship13th$23,750
2023 World Series of PokerEvent #21: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha35th$6,986
2023 World Series of PokerEvent #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions482nd$3,130
2022 World Series of PokerEvent #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship1st$611,362
2022 World Series of PokerEvent #38: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship7th$41,011
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #73: 10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship22nd$16,340
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship4th$286,983
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #52: $1,000 Seniors Championship47th$11,437
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #45: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship6th$124,508
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #32: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.4th$53,986
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #23: $1,500 Eight Game Mix 6-Handed66th$2,415
2021 World Series of PokerEvent #7: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed20th$3,593
2021 US Poker OpenEvent #6: $10,000 8-Game1st$183,600
2019 World Series of PokerEvent #72: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship12th$20,963
2019 World Series of PokerEvent #67: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship11th$23,664
2019 World Series of PokerEvent #51: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better42nd$4,155
2019 World Series of PokerEvent #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud1st$93,766
2019 World Series of PokerEvent #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better97th$2,355
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #75: $1,500 The Closer No-Limit Hold'em (30 minute levels) - $1 Million Guarantee406th$2,315
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #76: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.24th$6,524
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #60: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship22nd$18,631
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #53: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better3rd$106,183
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #40: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet22nd$4,470
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #25: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better12th$9,165
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship2nd$258,297
2018 World Series of PokerEvent #3: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em SHOOTOUT13th$6,302
2014 World Series of PokerEvent #36: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball19th$3,471
2014 World Series of PokerEvent #10: $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Championship10th$33,949
2014 World Series of PokerEvent #5: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Championship3rd$144,056
2013 World Series of PokerEvent #59: $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball1st$173,236
2013 World Series of PokerEvent #29: $5,000 H.O.R.S.E.30th$8,525
2013 World Series of PokerEvent #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better15th$11,528
2012 World Series of PokerEvent 27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.63rd$3,468
2012 World Series of PokerEvent 15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better19th$9,675
2012 World Series of PokerEvent 2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em103rd$3,531
2011 World Series of PokerEvent #58: $10,000 Main Event107th$54,851
2011 World Series of PokerEvent #49: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)5th$36,596
2011 World Series of PokerEvent #31: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha41st$8,508
2011 World Series of PokerEvent #17: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.21st$7,709
2011 World Series of PokerEvent #9: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball25th$3,237
2011 Aussie MillionsFull Tilt Poker $25,000 Shootout Invitational6th30,000 AUD
2010 World Series of PokerEvent #44: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em23rd$8,372
2010 World Series of PokerEvent #7: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball15th$7,663
2010 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship$20,000 Heads-up Championship10th$25,000
2009 World Series of PokerEvent 47 - $2,500 Mixed Hold'em46th$4,739
2009 World Series of PokerEvent 30 - $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha33rd$6,056
2009 World Series of PokerEvent 3 - $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better20th$7,869
2008 World Series of PokerEvent 28 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys18th$54,003
2008 World Series of PokerEvent 8 - $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event5th$108,288
2008 World Series of PokerEvent 1 - $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em World Championship19th$26,470
2007 World Series of PokerEvent 24 - $3,000 Seven Card Stud Hi Lo1st$198,984