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Poker Profile Carlos Mortensen

Carlos Mortensen has to go down as one of the all-time poker tournament greats. In addition to posting impressive performances in various tournaments over the years, Mortensen has achieved a feat that may never be duplicated, winning both the World Series of Poker Championship (in 2001) and the World Poker Tour Championship (in 2007).

Born Juan Carlos Mortensen in Ecuador in 1972, Carlos eventually found his way to Spain, where he observed people playing Texas holdem games where he was tending bar. After the typical false starts, Carlos began winning and winning. He was so successful in his native Spain that he began to have trouble getting a game, and started runs to the U.S. to try his skills.

It was here that he discovered the World Series of Poker in the late nineties. In 2001, fresh off a bankroll-building tournament win at the Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament, Carlos "El Matador" Mortensen used his savvy poker sense and aggressive style to storm to the final table.

While winning the final table of the main event of the World Series of Poker is a challenge any year, Mortensen faced probably the most challenging final table of all time. Sitting with Mortensen were such illustrious poker names as WSOP Tournament of Champions winner Mike Matusow, former World Series of Poker runner up Dewey Tomko, famed poker commentator and player Phil Gordon and perhaps most intimidating of all, all time World Series of Poker record bracelet holder and former champion Phil Hellmuth. Nevertheless, Mortensen stayed firm, and collected his championship bracelet when his king and queen of clubs cracked Tomko's pocket aces.

Having conquered the World Series of Poker, Mortensen began to attack the World Poker Tour with gusto as well. This adventure reached its culmination in 2007, when Mortensen, already with a World Poker Tour title under his belt, found himself at the final table of the championship event. Although the chip leader Paul Lee had a nearly two-to-one advantage in chips over him as the tournament began, by the end Mortensen emerged triumphant again, adding more jewelry and several million dollars to his tournament booty.

Carlos is one of those players who ushered in the modern poker attitude of persistently aggressive play. However, Carlos is no maniac. He can shift gears and reign in his aggression with the best of them, waiting for his moment to strike and then pouncing at the first sign of weakness. If you're looking to become a poker tournament star, you could do worse than to emulate The Matador, Carlos Mortensen.

We can only speculate as to Mortensen's results in upcoming WSOP 2008, but no doubt he's one of the main contenders.

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