Davidi Kitai (born 28 September 1979) is a Belgian professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event for $244,583, becoming the first Belgian to win a WSOP bracelet.[1] He also has won 2 other bracelets and has an EPT title and a WPT title, along with numerous other big scores and titles.
| Davidi Kitai | |
|---|---|
 Davidi Kitai in 2018 | |
| Residence | Brussels, Belgium |
| Born | 28 September 1979 |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 3 |
| Final table(s) | 9 |
| Money finish(es) | 36 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 223rd, 2017 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 7 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 3 |
| Money finish(es) | 17 |
In February 2011, Kitai won his second big title in the WPT Celebrity Invitational event, earning $100,000.[2]
At the 2012 European Poker Tour in Berlin, Kitai won his first EPT title earning €712,000 in the €5,000 Main Event.[3] In the heads-up phase Kitai was trailing Andrew Chen but his infamous hero all-in call with K♣5♣ on a 2♣Q♣8♡-4♠-5♢ board gave him a considerable lead over Chen as he went on to win the match.
He became one of only ten players to win poker's Triple Crown, joining other players like Gavin Griffin, Bertrand Grospellier, Jake Cody, and Roland De Wolfe. Poker's Triple Crown consists of winning a WSOP bracelet as well as main event titles on the WPT and EPT. There was some debate on the legitimacy of his Triple Crown achievement since his WPT win was the Celebrity Invitational event, thus not being an open event and arguments that this charity event had a weakened field. Although he had to beat 482 players to win it, including almost every famous pro poker player. But the WPT eventually officially stated that they recognise the Invitational as an official WPT main event.[4]
Kitai won his second bracelet at the 2013 World Series of Poker in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event, defeating Cary Katz heads-up and earning $224,560.[5] His third bracelet came in the $3,000 6-Max Event of the 2014 WSOP, where he had to get past Gordon Vayo heads-up to complete his WSOP hattrick while bagging $508,640.[6]
Kitai won the 25K Super High Roller of the PartyPoker Millions Barcelona 2018 for €700,000.[7] In November 2020 Kitai won the Super MILLION$ $10,300 Main Event on GGPoker for $726,839, defeating a final table with other top players like Niklas Åstedt, David Yan, Mike Watson, Aleks Ponakovs and Eelis Parssinen.
On 7 January 2015, Kitai was ranked #2 on the Global poker index, which ranks the top live tournament players in the world [8]
His total live tournament winnings exceed the magical $10,000,000 mark.[9]
World Series of Poker bracelets
edit| Year | Event | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em | $244,583 |
| 2013 | $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em | $224,560 |
| 2014 | $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed | $508,640 |
Online Poker
editAlthough he mainly plays live tournaments, Kitai has some impressive online scores as well. He plays under the screen name “legrouzin” on PokerStars, where he won hundreds of thousands of dollars in MTT cashes.
In November 2020, he took down the $10,300 Super MILLION$ Main Event for $726,839 on Natural8-GGNetwork.[10]
Personal life
editIt was Davidi Kitai's childhood dream to become a professional football player. He played on an amateur level for low-tier clubs in Belgium until he was 20.
He then graduated in Economics and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 22.
Later on, he tried to open a running online and retail store in Brussels, Belgium, unsuccessfully.[11]
References
edit- ^ "39th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2008, Pot Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "2011 L.A. Poker Classic, WPT Celebrity Invitational". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Convey, Marc (21 April 2012). "Davidi Kitai Wins the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Berlin Main Event". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Feldman, Andrew; Welman, Jessica. "Poker Hot Button Topic of the Week". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012.
- ^ "39th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2008, Pot Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "45th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2014, No Limit Hold'em - Six Handed (Event #15)". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "partypoker LIVE - partypoker MILLIONS Barcelona Grand Final, No Limit Hold'em - €25k Super High Roller #3". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Davidi Kitai". Global Poker Index. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Davidi Kitai's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Davidi Kitai Wins the HRW 18: $10,300 Super MILLION$ Main Event ($726,839)". PokerNews.com. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Davidi Kitai's Life: Net Worth, Biggest Profits, Losses and Private Life". Somuchpoker.com. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020.