Eli Elezra was born in Jerusalem and grew up understanding the importance of family and friends. He spent much time playing cards with friends, but after graduating from high school, he sincerely wanted to serve in the Israeli army. Though the government attempted to recruit him to an air force unit instead, he was so adamant about forgoing that for the army that he withstood a jail sentence to make his point. Finally, the government granted his wish and allowed him to become a member of the decorated Israeli Defense Forces. But during the 1982 Lebanon War, he sustained a leg injury that curtailed his military career. While recovering, he rediscovered his love of poker, though that would take a backseat to a trip to Alaska. Upon rumors that there was money to be made, he moved there only to discover that the work was hard and the money wasn’t what was promised, so he took several jobs and ultimately saved enough money to buy a convenience store.When Eli’s brother took a vacation to Las Vegas and reported that many opportunities awaited them there, Eli sold the store in Alaska and moved to Vegas. He immediately purchased a small film-processing store on the Strip, then proceeded to buy approximately twenty other businesses in the same area. Investing was inherent in this business-minded man, and he knew how to manage and reinvest his money in a hot market. During the time that he managed all of his companies, he found time during breaks to hit the local Strip casinos and play low-limit poker games. Years later, he found that poker – once he mastered the strategy of the cash games – was another wise investment.Today, Eli is mostly a cash game player, playing at the highest limits - $4000-$8000 mixed games at the Bellagio in the “Big Game†with some of the best in the world like Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, and Jennifer Harman. However, when his friends in the game urged him to try tournaments, he found that there was some success to be found there, too. He has cashed in numerous World Series of Poker events and has some impressive wins to his credit, the most prestigious being a World Poker Tour event. It was the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown, and he won the main event for over $1 million. Since then, he has appeared on many televised poker shows and won several more tournaments. As always, Eli will turn up where money is to be made and good investments are to be found.