Poker Player - Juan Carlos Mortensen
Known as “El Matador”, Juan Carlos Mortensen was born on April 13th 1972 in Ambato, Ecuador. He is famous on the poker circuit for his risky and colourful style of play, and his aggressive bluffing tactics. This style combined with his Spanish roots lead to his nickname “The Matador.” He has been described as “fearless” in his approach at the poker tables, but this is also backed up by an awesome level of skill at the game. The fact that Mortensen has won both a World Series of Poker Main Event AND a World Poker Tour Title is an indication of what a force he is on the poker circuit. In fact, the only other player to have done the same is Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunsen, who remains one of Mortensen’s most respected rivals.
Mortensen has achieved live poker tournament earnings in excess of £3.8 million, has 2 World Series of Poker bracelets for the $5000 Limit Hold’em event 2003 and the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Event 2001 and is ranked number 14 on the World Series of Poker All Time Money List. These are remarkable achievement when the fact that Juan Carlos has only been playing professional poker since 2000 is taken into consideration. Added to this is the fact that Juan Carlos had never played poker before 1997!
Born in 1972, Juan Carlos moved to Spain, from Ecuador when he was 15. By the time he got to America, in the late 1990’s he spoke no English, and had a background of playing chess and pool, rather than poker. Back in Spain, working a bartender in a private club, Juan Carlos one day noticed a group of people playing Texas Hold’em, and was prompted to give the game a whirl. He lost $100.
Juan Carlos refused to feel the defeat crushing him however, and he returned the next night to play again. This time he won. The next night he returned again. And won. In fact, for 4 nights in a row, he returned to the tables and won back his stake and more. It wasn’t long before he had resigned as a bartender and had decided to take up poker full time. He played in all of the local games until it became near impossible to find opponents. With typical reckless and fortuitous drive, Juan Carlos headed for Atlantic City, where he spoke no English and lost half of his bankroll within the first month. Three months later, his visa had expired and he had $10,000 in his pocket.
In 1999, Juan Carlos was bankrolled by other players in Madrid into the World Series of Poker Main Event, and though he didn’t make it to a final table, he outlasted fifty percent of the field. He went on to play at the Mirage, and won $4000. Skilled poker play turned this sum into $10,000. Once again his visa expired and he returned to Spain. This time there was £50,000 in his pocket. In 2000 he returned to the World Series of Poker, funding himself, and narrowly missed finishing in the money. At the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, he made the final table. By 2001, Juan Carlos was truly ready for the big time, and won $1.5 million at the World Series of Poker main event.
At the poker tables, Juan Carlos has the burning spirit of a warrior, but behind all the bluster and aggression at the table, there is the calculated and calm intelligence of a player who truly understands the game. He says “I believe that poker is a people game played with cards, not just a card game played by people. I think that all players have limits, or situations where they become uneasy and that is when I put them to the test.”
Juan Carlos Mortensen is married to Cecilia Reyes, who is also a poker player of some reknown.
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