David Eldar

David Eldar
Born (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989
Known forScrabble World Champion (2017; 2023)
NicknameDeldar182
European Poker Tour
TitleNone
Final table1
Money finishes2

David Eldar (born 26 September 1989) is an Australian Scrabble player and pro-amateur poker player who specializes in Omaha hold 'em.[1][2] He is the World Scrabble Champion of 2017, sweeping Harshan Lamabadusuriya 3–0 in the final, and 2023, again beating Lamabadusuriya by a score of 4–3.

In 2023, Eldar became the then second player to win multiple World Scrabble Championships, besides Nigel Richards, who has six wins.[3]

Eldar grew up in Melbourne and attended the King David School in Armadale.[4] He is Jewish,[5] with him describing himself as an "atheist, progressive Jew". His mother is Australian and his father is Israeli.[6]

Scrabble

His Scrabble achievements include:[7]

Youth/Regional
Open

Poker

Eldar plays under the alias Deldar182 on PokerStars and has earned over $1,800,000, as of April 2018.[10]

Eldar finished 5th in the 2009 European High Roller Championship No Limit Hold'em event winnings $181,450. As of 2018, his total live tournaments cashes exceeds $200,000.[11]

References

  1. ^ Op de Woerd, Frank (12 October 2017). "Railbird Report: High Stakes' David Eldar Becomes Scrabble World Champ". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Oh my word: Aussie-born David Eldar is world Scrabble champion". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. ^ "This Year's World Scrabble Champion Blew Everyone Away With a Three-Letter Word". slate.com. 9 August 2023. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  4. ^ "The Jewish world champion of Scrabble shares his secrets on how to win the game". The Forward. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  5. ^ Harpaz, Beth (11 August 2023). "The Jewish world champion of Scrabble shares his secrets on how to win the game". The Forward. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  6. ^ Wilensky, David A.M. (15 August 2023). "The Jewish world champion of Scrabble shares his secrets". J. Archived from the original on 31 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  7. ^ "WSC 2007: David Eldar [#32]". live.wscgames.com. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Obscure word propels Londoner to victory in world Scrabble championships". The Telegraph. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Melbourne man wins $10k in world Scrabble championship showdown". ABC News. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Poker Player Deldar182". HighstakesDB. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  11. ^ "David Eldar's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 21 April 2018.