Aggressiveness: 8
Looseness: 8
Short-handed: 8
Limit: 7
No-limit: 5
Tournaments: 6
Side games: 7
Steam control: 5
Against weak players: 7
Against strong players: 7
Best game: Short-handed limit poker
Weakness: Full games and no-limit side action
Eli is a catalyst for the limit games from 1000-2000 up to 2000-4000. He often tries to start a heads-up or three-handed game because he is an excellent short-handed player. Eli doesn’t always show appropriate patience when the game becomes full. I think this is partly due to the fact that he has a significant life as a family man and businessman outside of poker, and when he comes to the poker room he is ready to play.
Eli has had several impressive winning streaks over the years. He aggressively invests his poker winnings into his many business ventures (a nightclub, souvenir stores, gas stations, and real estate), often placing his poker bankroll in jeopardy, especially considering the high limits he plays and his high-fluctuation style.
Amusing anecdote
People often call him “Eli with the wife” to distinguish him from Eli Balas. When Eli plays poker, his beautiful wife Hila usually sits behind him. After most hands, especially ones that he loses, Eli and Hila review the play in Hebrew. They exemplify the saying, “The family that plays together stays together.”
Title: Israelites
Artist: Desmond Dekker and the Aces
Year: 1968
Reason for this song choice
This song is actually a parody implying that earning a living in Jamaica is as difficult as slaving for the Pharaoh by the ancient Hebrews.