Mortensen Chases WPT Record In L.A. Poker Classic Main Event

As if Erik Seidel’s ongoing high roller winning streak wasn’t enough excitement for the L.A. Poker Classic crowds, another WPT competitor is on the precipice of setting an important record. Juan Carlos Mortensen – better known as simply Carlos Mortensen – is poised to be the first poker player to win four WPT titles. Not only has he made the Main Event’s final table of six, but Mortensen will also enter the final day of play as the chip leader.

Mortensen is hardly an underdog, and yet his name doesn’t trigger the same recognition afforded to other pros of similar status. Just how good is Mortensen? A win in this event would push his lifetime tournament earnings ever so close to the $10 million mark. Furthermore, he’s already the leading money earner for the World Poker Tour, having scooped up $5.7 million in WPT cashes. Now he’s on the verge of setting one more WPT record – this time for titles won.

Mortensen’s previous WPT wins were nothing to sniff at. It’s not like he waltzed in and beat a few dozen amateurs at a smaller event. No, Mortensen’s other titles include a Main Event win at last year’s Hollywood Poker Open and a career-making win at the 2007 WPT World Championships. There’s no better place for Mortensen to set this record, either, considering that the L.A. Poker Classic was also home to his very first WPT cash a full decade ago.

Here is the full breakdown on the 2011 LA Poker Classic Main Event final table:

Carlos Mortensen – 5,235,000

Vivek Rajkumar – 5,185,000

Amir Lehavot – 4,115,000

Gregory Brooks – 2,300,000

Darryl Fish – 2,275,000

Steve Gross – 1,320,000

As you can see, Mortensen’s got some stiff competition. Day 4 chip leader Vivek Rajkumar didn’t fall far in the standings and still managed to add nearly 2 million chips to his previous stack put him only one blind behind Mortensen. Rajkumar isn’t any stranger to WPT titles either having won the 2008 Borgata Poker Open Championship Event. Like Mortensen, Rajkumar is also more than comfortable at the LA Classic; he’s been attending and winning since 2008.

Tomorrow’s Main Event final table marks the end of another notable L.A. Poker Classic. This year’s event started all the way back on January 19. The WPT portion of the tournament series didn’t begin until February 25, though. Altogether there were 54 different recognized events and more than $20 million in payouts.

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