The culmination of Season Five of the World Poker Tour, as was the case in previous seasons, was the WPT Championship. On one of poker’s biggest stages, thousands of players flocked to Las Vegas for their chance at millions of dollars and the title of World Champion. The setting: The Bellagio in Las Vegas. Amidst the dancing waters of the Bellagio fountain pool, you’ll find some of most competitive poker players on the planet bluffing, betting, and making timely laydowns. In the heart of Las Vegas, it was a Spaniard, Carlos Mortensen, who walked away with the title of World Champion and nearly $4 million. According to the WPT website, he became the first person ever to win the World Series of Poker Main Event Champion and become the WPT Champion. Mortensen started final table play second in chips, but had half the total stack of the chip leader, Paul Lee. In the end, it was Mortensen’s day to celebrate. He was, once again, a champion.
It’s useful to review Mortensen’s WSOP history before diving into his WPT Championship win. In 2001, he won the WSOP Main Event, two years before Chris Moneymaker qualified for the event on PokerStars. He took home $1.5 million for his efforts, defeating Dewey Tomko heads up. He made his way through a gauntlet of a final table that included Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow. His other bracelet came in a $5,000 limit event in the 2003 WSOP. In that event, his nemesis heads up was Mark Gregorich. Prior to his WPT Championship win, Mortensen had made eight final tables in WSOP events.
Now, let’s move on to the WPT Championship. Mortensen entered the final table with 6.5 million chips. Lee had nearly 12 million. He would gain chips through both Lee and eventual runner up Kirk Morrison, cashing for $3.97 million and his first WPT Championship win. He was also awarded a seat in the 2008 WPT Championship, which boasts a $25,000 buy-in. Here’s the WPT’s description of the final hand: “Mortensen took his KhJh in for a five million raise, and Morrison reraised All-In for 13.1 million. Mortensen called. The [board] was 7c4h3cJc3d, and Kirk Morrison ended his tournament as the runner-up in 2nd place for $2,011,135.” The top four finishers walked away at least a half a million dollars richer.
The 2007 WPT Championship’s field was about as tough as it gets in any live poker tournament you’ll find. Each entrant pumped $25,000 into the prize pool, which topped $15 million. Finishing in the top 25 were some of the top online poker players. Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi cashed in 15th place for $154,000; Jim “KrazyKanuck” Worth landed in 16th. Eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth finished 18th and Paul Wasicka, the runner up in the 2006 WSOP Main Event (which was won by Jamie Gold), finished 24th. Other top finishers included Bill Gazes (33rd), Jared “TheWacoKidd” Hamby (44th), Patrik Antonius (who had cashed 10 times in previous WSOPs), finished 52nd, and Humberto Brenes (62nd). Brenes had cashed in the WSOP 49 times prior to the WPT Championship, including two bracelets.
The WPT website notes that Mortensen’s $3.97 million first place prize was the largest amount awarded to a top finisher in WPT history. It bodes well for the future of the WPT.