PLAYER PROFILE – Carlos Mortensen
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Poker has captivated the attention of players all over the world for centuries. Becoming a successful poker player takes more than luck; skill and strategy are essential to winning consistently. That is why, over time, poker has evolved into a competitive game enjoyed by both professional and recreational players alike. Competitive poker has flourished, becoming a major part of the game that draws new players in. Players from all over the world compete in televised high-stakes battles, broadening poker’s mainstream appeal. The best of the best are rewarded with fame and fortune, receiving million-dollar tournament cashes and having their names known to fellow players worldwide. Today, we’ll cover one such player: Carlos “El Matador” Mortensen.
Player Overview
Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player mostly known for his results in major tournaments such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour (WPT). These two are poker’s most famous tournament series, known and well regarded all through the poker community. Mortensen’s results speak for themselves, with over $12 million in lifetime tournament earnings. In 2001, he was the first South American to win a WSOP Main Event title. Mortensen’s WPT results are even better, with three titles and a record $6.7 million in cashes. On the table, he was known for his incredibly loose playstyle and frequent bluffs. For his achievements in the tournament scene, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2016.
Early Life
Juan Carlos Mortensen was born on April 13, 1972, in Ambato, Ecuador. After 15 years living there, he and his family moved to Madrid, Spain. In 1997, Mortensen was in Madrid, waiting for his wife after his bartending shift ended. He saw an ongoing poker game that piqued his interest. He bought-in with $100 and lost it all. He couldn’t sleep that night and was determined to learn the game and earn it back. The next day, he made double what he lost. After winning consistently for four straight days, Mortensen quit his job to pursue poker as a career. He enjoyed a good few months of success but eventually ran out of people to play with because he won too much.
Trip to America
In search of competition, Mortensen traveled to America with a $2,800 bankroll, without knowing a lick of English. The first day was a disaster, after paying for his hotel and food, he lost $1,400. He dropped down to lower stakes, earning back $1000 in $2-$4 cash games. From here, he built his bankroll back up to $10,000. Sadly, he had reached the end of his three-month visa, forcing him to return to Spain.
Mortensen’s lack of English knowledge may have been a boon in disguise, in actuality. “Because I didn’t understand English, I really had to pay attention to people. If you are a good reader, you can almost feel what people are doing; you can look in their eyes and see it on their faces,” he said in an interview with Card Player Magazine.
When he returned to Madrid, he found a No Limit Hold’em game with a one-hour time limit. Every hour, the stacks reset, allowing Mortensen to hone his skills without worrying too much about managing his stack. He played incredibly well, getting the respect of the other poker players in Madrid. They even sponsored him, paying for travel and other expenses in exchange for a cut of the potential prize pool. He headed back to Las Vegas and performed reasonably well in his first time at the WSOP, outlasting half the player pool in the Main Event and cashing for $22,575 in a separate one.
Poker Career
Mortensen’s career really took off on his third WSOP attempt. He made his way through the tournament, beating casuals and veterans alike. With his reading skills, he made daring bluffs and calls all the way to the final table. There, against poker legend Dewey Tomko, he called a $400,000 raise with no fear, going all-in. It paid off, winning Mortensen the Main Event for a staggering $1,500,000. He collected his second WSOP bracelet in 2003 at a Limit Hold’em event.
Since then, he’s claimed numerous other wins in high-profile tournaments. His first WPT win came in 2004 for $1 million, followed by victories at various invitationals such as the Johnny Chan TCI Invitational Poker Tournament. Mortensen’s biggest cash to date was in 2007 when he took down his second WPT for $3,970,415. A third WPT title came in 2010 along with $393,820. He’s had other strong showings at the 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Heads-Up Championship, which he won, and the 2013 WSOP Main Event, where he finished 10th for $573,204.
Playstyle
Mortensen’s style of play is ruthless, utilizing his keen perception to exploit opponents whenever possible. “Anytime I can bust someone, that is the right thing to do. If I smell weakness, I attack,” he said. As for his approach to learning the game, he doesn’t make use of too many external resources. “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 to play. 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.” This exploitative style of using his opponents’ strengths against them is a hallmark of Mortensen’s play, and it’s certainly worked out well.
