David Eldar
David Eldar is an Australian Scrabble player and pro-amateur poker player who specializes in Omaha hold 'em. 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.
Eldar grew up in Melbourne and attended the King David School in Armadale. He is Jewish, with him describing himself as an "atheist, progressive Jew". His mother is Australian and his father is Israeli.
Scrabble
His Scrabble achievements include:;Youth/Regional
- World Youth Scrabble Champion 2006
- Australian National Champion
- Victorian State Champion 2003
- Runner-up Australian Masters
- 11th Place World Scrabble Championship 2005
- 11th Place World Scrabble Championship 2007
- 2008 Causeway Challenge Champion
- North American Scrabble Championship 2016 Collins Division Winner
- World Scrabble Championship 2017 Winner
- World Scrabble Championship 2023 Winner
Poker
Eldar plays under the alias Deldar182 on PokerStars and has earned over $1,800,000, as of April 2018.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.