Carlos Mortensen

  • Name: Juan Carlos Mortensen

  • Nickname: El Matador

  • Current Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

  • DOB: April 13th, 1972

  • Birth Place: Ambato, Ecuador

  • Sponsored by: Full Tilt Poker

  • First Win: 2001 LA Poker Classic

  • WSOP Bracelets: 2

  • Total Winnings: $9,277,793 (March 2010)

  • Marital Status: Single (Divorced)

Who is Carlos Mortensen?

Juan Carlos Mortensen is a Spanish poker player who was born in Ecuador to a Spaniard mother and a Danish father. He moved to Barcelona, Spain when he was 15 and married Cecilia Reyes when they were both only 19 years old. It was while he waited for her in a club in Barcelona that he was first introduced into poker. He managed to master his poker skills and soon there was no one who could match him at the clubs in Barcelona.

El Matador came to the United States to become a poker pro in 1997. It was there his name changed from Juan Carlos to only Carlos. He didn't know a word of English when he came to the States so he had to learn to read his opponents in a different way. He made one WSOP final table in 2000 and the next year he collected his first wins at the LA Poker Classic and the Bay 101 Shooting Star. However, it wasn't until he won the 2001 WSOP Main Event against the three-time WSOP bracelet winner, Dewey Tomko that he really made his breakthrough.

He proved that his WSOP bracelet was not just a fluke when he won his second bracelet in 2003, and in 2007 he made arguably his biggest feat yet when he conquered one of the toughest tournaments on the circuit, the WPT Championship in Bellagio, and became the first person to win both this championship and the WSOP Main Event. Mike Sexton called it an incredible achievement which may never be duplicated.

Carlos is a huge Beatles fan and the girls say he's one the most handsome players on the circuit. He is also famous for building castle designs with his chips when bored at the tables.

In 2006 Carlos divorced his wife Cecilia, who is also a poker player. He now resides in Las Vegas and continues to play on the tournament circuit. He has stated that his goal is to make one million dollars per year playing poker.

Where does the nickname 'El Matador' come from?

Carlos Mortensen owes his nickname 'El Matador' to his playing style, described as wild and unpredictable combined to his Spanish origins (Matador means bull fighter in Spanish). He honours his nickname and lives up to it.

Tournament History

  • 2009: Back to the winning ways. Four WSOP cashes and $251,369 in tournament earnings. Has already won $424,040 during the first months of 2010.
  • 2008: A quiet year by Carlos' standards. Three cashes for a total of $117,000.
  • 2007: He made history by winning the WPT Championship event (the $25,000 No Limit Hold'em at the Five Star World Poker Classic in Bellagio, Las Vegas) and becoming the first player to win both of the major annual tournaments in the USA, the WSOP Main Event and the WPT Championship. Came also very close to a final table spot in the third major event in the annual tournament calendar, the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, but busted out in 11th place. Total annual cash estimated in: $4,110,000.
  • 2006: Another excellent year for Carlos. Made three WSOP final tables. He won the Johnny Chan TCI Invitational Poker Tournament and the Jack Binion WSOP Circuit Event in Robinsonville. He participated in the Intercontinental Poker Championship, Las Vegas and the World Heads-up Poker Championships 2006, Barcelona. During this year he cashed a total of $625,000.
  • 2005: Only notable cash was for 2nd place in one of the preliminary events at the Mirage Poker Showdown. Cashed around $222,000 this year.
  • 2004: Another win at the LA Poker Classic and his first WPT title at the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship- His total cash was approximately $1,252,000.
  • 2003: Carlos got his second WSOP bracelet at the 5k Limit Hold'em Event. He also made 4th place at the WPT Borgata Poker Open. Total cash: $ 372,000.
  • 2002: 1st place at the World Poker Finals in Foxwoods. Total cash $145,000.
  • 2001: His breakthrough year: Wins at the LA Poker Classic, Bay 101 Shooting Star and finally at the WSOP Main Event. Total cash: $1,660,000

Poker Techniques

Carlos finds it easy to cheat his opponents because of his expert bluffing skills. These skills together with his natural ability as a gambler and remembering all of his opponents' plays make him the perfect pot taker at any game.

His style is often cool and loose and he says he tries to mix his style to confuse his opponents.

He is often seen wearing sunglasses, listening to music he likes in his iPod or playing chess or Sudoku on his PSP. If all of these fail, he'll combat boredom by building castle figures with his chips, another skill he has also mastered.

In his words: "I didn't learn poker by reading books. I learn at the table, and that's how I study poker. I remember and record everything, and then use that information to help me the next time. I am trying to find out the things other people don't even think about. I am creating my own way of playing. The strength of my game is to analyze the styles of the other players, and after I analyze their systems, I play their 'anti-system.' I use their system against them."[1]

Media Exposure

1] Jaffrey Shulman, Allyn. CardPlayer Magazine. Ret. Sept 8th, 2008. http://www.cardplayer.com/magazine/article/14433