Juan Carlos Mortensen
Juan Carlos Mortensen is a professional poker player nicknamed The Matador. Born on April 13, 1972, Juan Carlos Mortensen got his start in professional poker in a highly illegal fashion. He joined a poker game at an underground no limit game while waiting for his wife to finish her bar tending shift. Juan Carlos Mortensen usually played chess, but for some reason he chose to play poker that night, which he remembers to be April 15, 1997. He lost $100 that night. He came back the next night to win back his money. He ended up winning so much that he decided to move to the United States to play poker despite the fact that he could not speak any English.
Juan Carlos Mortensen earned his way into the 2001 World Series of Poker Main Event after winning the $1000 No Limit Holdem event at the 2001 Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament. Carlos won the Main Event after beating a final table that included Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Phil Gordon, and second place finisher Dewey Tomko.
Juan Carlos Mortensen won his second WSOP bracelet in 2003 while playing the $5000 Limit Holdem Event. In 2004, Juan Carlos Mortensen won the World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship to become only the second person to win the WSOP Main Event and a WPT title. The other was Doyle Brunson. Juan Carlos Mortensen won the Season Five World Poker Tour Championship for his second WPT title.
Juan Carlos Mortensen made it to 3 final tables at the 2006 WSOP, finishing in second at the Razz poker event. Juan Carlos Mortensen finished in 11th place at the Euorpean Poker Tour Main Event, being knocked out when his turned straight got beat by a rivered flush.
Juan Carlos Mortensen currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
