2002 WSOP winner Carlos Mortensen wins close to $4 million at the World Poker Tour World Championship
Carlos Mortensen has cemented his place near the very top of global poker, by becoming the first man to win both a World Series of Poker Main Event and a World Poker Tour World Championship.
The WSOP win came back in 2002, but the WPT victory came this past weekend at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
It’s illustrative of the boom in poker that the first place prize money for the WPT win, nearly $4 million, dwarfs the booty he won for winning poker’s premier title five years previously, $1.5 million.
639 of the world’s best players battled over seven days, 19-25 April, at the Bellagio, all striving to win a piece the largest ever WPT prize pool, and more inmportantly, the massive $3,970,415 first place prize. Spaniard Mortensen fought through to play 95 hands of heads-up with Kirk Morrison. The end eventually came when Morrison moved in with A-4, with a 4 showing on the flop. Mortensen called with K-J and hit his Jack on the turn.
The win means Mortensen has nearly $8.5 million in career prize money, and now holds the all-time record for the most money ever won at the Bellagio.
Final Table Results:
1. Carlos Mortensen $3,970,415
2. Kirk Morrison $2,011,135
3. Paul Lee $1,082,920
4. Guy Laliberte $696,220
5. Tim Phan $464,110
6. Mike Wattel $309,405