The 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is rapidly approaching, and players from all corners of the world will descend on Las Vegas in the hope of becoming a world champion. Spanish players are among the army of grinders heading to “Sin City.” Be careful if you run into any of these five Spanish legends because they are absolute bosses at the poker tables.
The earnings of the top five players in the Spanish all-time money listing weigh in at $57,841,380. It is an incredible figure, but they are incredible players.
Adrian Mateos is a Spanish poker legend
Adrian Mateos is only in his mid-20s but is already a Spanish poker legend. Mateos won his first WSOP bracelet aged only 19-years-old. He triumphed in the 2013 WSOP Europe Main Event for €1 million ($1,351,661). Mateos won the 2015 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for €1,082,000 ($1,214,161) thus becoming the first Spanish EPT champion. Amazingly, Mateos had three WSOP bracelets to his name by the age of 22, becoming the youngest-ever player to win a trio of bracelets.
$21,384,436 in winnings puts Mateos at the top of the Spanish money rankings. The colossal sum is enough for 28th place in the global listings, too. Mateos does not publicly track his online poker results, but they weigh in at more than $10 million. The man is a beast of a poker player.
Sergio Aido took the Spanish poker scene by storm
Sergio Aido burst onto the poker scene in 2012 and took the Spanish poker world by storm. Aido walked away with the €1,650 WPT National Barcelona Main Event title for €80,000 ($115,240) before scooping a £770 buy-in event in London for £144,555 ($217,530) a few months later.
Aido quickly gained a reputation for a fearless loose-aggressive player online, where he is best known as “zcedrick.” He has ranked as highly as 30th in the world at one stage thanks, in part, to $4.5 million in winnings.
Live poker is where Aido mostly plies his trade these days, particularly cash games in Macau. His live tournament skills have earned Aido $12,46,650, with his largest score weighing in at $1,771,337. He reeled that princely sum in after taking down the €100,000 Super High Roller at the 2019 EPT Monte Carlo.
Carlos Mortensen is Spain’s sole WSOP Main Event Champion
Carlos Mortensen was born in Ecuador but lived in Spain most of his life before moving to the United States in the late 1990s. Mortensen, nicknamed “El Matador,” is known for his loose style of play and frequent bluffing.
The Spanish star won his first bracelet in 2001 when he became the WSOP Main Event champion. Mortensen banked $1,500,000 that day. Bracelet number two came two years later in a $5,000 Limit Hold’em event for $251,680.
However, it is the World Poker Tour where Mortensen seriously thrived. He has three WPT Main Event titles, including one worth a staggering $3,970,415. That was Mortensen’s reward for winning the $25,500 Fifth Annual Five Star World Poker Classic in 2007, which is still the largest-ever prize the WPT has awarded.
Sergi Reixach crushes online and live
Sergi Reixach is one of many Spanish poker aces who lives in London, United Kingdom. He does this so he can continue playing at all online poker sites, not only the ones the Spanish government says he can. Reixach’s decision to leave his native Spain has reaped dividends because he is one of the most feared tournament specialists of his generation.
Reixach has $6,707,465 in live winnings and several more million from online poker events. While he does not have a WSOP bracelet or WPT title yet, Reixach won the 2019 €100,000 Super High Roller at EPT Barcelona for €1,816,210 ($2,024,535).
Ramon Colillas won $5.1 million from a freeroll
Roman Colillas has $5,226,491 in live event winnings, with $5,100,000 stemming from one result. Unbelievably, Colillas won the $5.1 million top prize from a freeroll tournament in 2019!
Colillas won a Platinum Pass in a PokerStars promotion, which granted him entry into a $25,000 buy-in event. A total of 1,039 players bought in or won their way into the tournament, creating a $26,455,500 prize pool. Colillas was the last man standing and received $5,100,000 plus a sponsorship package. It is the biggest freeroll prize ever.
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Brad Johnson
You name the game, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Brad has either played it or placed a wager on it! Brad calls himself a natural gambler, and someone who gains as much enjoyment from writing about the crazy game of poker as he does playing it.