Eli Elezra
Eli Elezra
WPT:1
GPI:891
$5,589,481
Eli Elezra poker player profile. Get latest information, winnings and gallery.
Profile
- Name
- Eli Elezra
- Nationality
Israel- GPI Rank
- 891
- WPT Wins
- 1
- Total Live Earnings
- $5,589,481
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
| Year | Event | Prize (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
| Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 World Series of PokerEvent #86: $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty | 86th | $4,897 |
| 2023 World Series of PokerEvent #69: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship | 13th | $23,750 |
| 2023 World Series of PokerEvent #21: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | 35th | $6,986 |
| 2023 World Series of PokerEvent #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions | 482nd | $3,130 |
| 2022 World Series of PokerEvent #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 1st | $611,362 |
| 2022 World Series of PokerEvent #38: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw Championship | 7th | $41,011 |
| 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #73: 10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 22nd | $16,340 |
| 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 4th | $286,983 |
| 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #52: $1,000 Seniors Championship | 47th | $11,437 |
| 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #45: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship | 6th | $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-Handed | 66th | $2,415 |
| 2021 World Series of PokerEvent #7: $1,500 Dealers Choice 6-Handed | 20th | $3,593 |
| 2021 US Poker OpenEvent #6: $10,000 8-Game | 1st | $183,600 |
| 2019 World Series of PokerEvent #72: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship | 12th | $20,963 |
| 2019 World Series of PokerEvent #67: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 11th | $23,664 |
| 2019 World Series of PokerEvent #51: $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 42nd | $4,155 |
| 2019 World Series of PokerEvent #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 1st | $93,766 |
| 2019 World Series of PokerEvent #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 97th | $2,355 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #75: $1,500 The Closer No-Limit Hold'em (30 minute levels) - $1 Million Guarantee | 406th | $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 Championship | 22nd | $18,631 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #53: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 3rd | $106,183 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #40: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet | 22nd | $4,470 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #25: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 12th | $9,165 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 2nd | $258,297 |
| 2018 World Series of PokerEvent #3: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em SHOOTOUT | 13th | $6,302 |
| 2014 World Series of PokerEvent #36: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball | 19th | $3,471 |
| 2014 World Series of PokerEvent #10: $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Championship | 10th | $33,949 |
| 2014 World Series of PokerEvent #5: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Championship | 3rd | $144,056 |
| 2013 World Series of PokerEvent #59: $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball | 1st | $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-Better | 15th | $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-Better | 19th | $9,675 |
| 2012 World Series of PokerEvent 2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em | 103rd | $3,531 |
| 2011 World Series of PokerEvent #58: $10,000 Main Event | 107th | $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 Omaha | 41st | $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 Lowball | 25th | $3,237 |
| 2011 Aussie MillionsFull Tilt Poker $25,000 Shootout Invitational | 6th | 30,000 AUD |
| 2010 World Series of PokerEvent #44: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em | 23rd | $8,372 |
| 2010 World Series of PokerEvent #7: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball | 15th | $7,663 |
| 2010 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship$20,000 Heads-up Championship | 10th | $25,000 |
| 2009 World Series of PokerEvent 47 - $2,500 Mixed Hold'em | 46th | $4,739 |
| 2009 World Series of PokerEvent 30 - $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | 33rd | $6,056 |
| 2009 World Series of PokerEvent 3 - $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better | 20th | $7,869 |
| 2008 World Series of PokerEvent 28 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys | 18th | $54,003 |
| 2008 World Series of PokerEvent 8 - $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event | 5th | $108,288 |
| 2008 World Series of PokerEvent 1 - $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em World Championship | 19th | $26,470 |
| 2007 World Series of PokerEvent 24 - $3,000 Seven Card Stud Hi Lo | 1st | $198,984 |