High-stakes player Eli Elezra voted into Poker Hall of Fame
Eli Elezra is the newest member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
The high-stakes cash game and tournament player was announced as this year’s inductee Wednesday at the World Series of Poker at the Rio.
“Everybody who knows me and has played a hand of poker with me knows how much I love this game,” Elezra said.
Elezra, a 60-year-old originally from Israel, has won four WSOP bracelets and has more than $4.5 million in career tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.
Elezra also is known for playing in some of the biggest cash games in the world in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, alongside players such as Doyle Brunson and the late Chip Reese.
Elezra honored them at a ceremony during a break in the $1,979 buy-in Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-limit Hold’em event at the WSOP.
“To Chip and Doyle, I cannot thank you enough for teaching this fish to swim with the sharks,” Elezra said.
Elezra won a vote among the 32 living members of the Hall of Fame.
The other nominees were players Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Layne Flack, Ted Forrest, Bertrand Grospellier, Mike Matusow and Michael Mizrachi; tournament director Matt Savage; and Isai Scheinberg, founder of the online poker site PokerStars.
Flack died this year at age 52.
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.