Carlos Mortensen, nicknamed "El Matador," was born in Ambato, Ecuador, in 1972 to a Spanish mother. When Mortensen was a teenager, his family relocated to Madrid, Spain. Mortensen was first introduced to the game of poker at a local club where his friends and him used to play chess. One day, the guys started up a poker game and young Mortensen decided to join them. From that day on, he could no longer detach himself from the game.
Becoming very successful in poker led Mortensen to consider a full-time poker pro career. He started playing tournament poker, first close to home in Europe and later on in Las Vegas. Eventually, somewhere in the 90's, Mortensen and his wife, Cecilia Reyes, also a poker player, made Sin City their hometown. In an interview, Mortensen was reported as saying that they spend two months each year in Spain and from their they travel to the major European tournaments taking place in Paris, Amsterdam and London. The rest of the year they typically stay in the States.
The ever-confident Mortensen entered the 2001 World Series of Poker main event when he was 29 years old. There were as many as 612 entrants to the WSOP that year. El Matador remembers having $28,000 in his pocket the first day he played. On the fourth day, he had already accumulated $875,000. Mortensen took his time to study his opponents' styles and ultimately used this information against them. The final hands saw two great players - the insatiable Juan Carlos and seasoned player Dewey Tomko, an owner of three WSOP bracelets. When the two opponents started their final hand combat, Mortensen had nearly $4.1 million in chips and Tomko had about $2 million.
The final hand offered a surprise making Mortensen sweat. Carlos was a marriage of clubs when he called Dewey's $100,000 wager. On the flop, the dealer revealed a jack of diamonds and a 10 and 3 of clubs. Dewey raised the pot to $500,000, Carlos decide to move all-in. Next, on the turn, the dealer showed a 3 of diamonds. Carlos desperately needed a 9 or an Ace to make a straight, or any club card to make a flush. To Mortensen's delight, the river delivered a 9 of diamonds, and Dewey Tomko nabbed only the second place prize. El Matador was crowned the 2001 WSOP Winner. He took come $1.5 million.
Among Mortensen's other big wins was also the 2004 World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship boasting a $1,000,000 first place prize. His other memorable money finishes include: the World Heads-UP Poker Championship and the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament. As of 2006, Mortensen boasts 2 WSOP bracelets and more than $4,370,000 in tournament winnings. He made three final tables at the 2006 World Series of Poker.