Cecilia Reyes-Moretensen was born in Amazonas in Ecuador. The Latin American beauty lived there throughout her school years and then at 18, she moved ‘across the pond’ to Madrid, Spain. She attended college and majored in the Dramatic Arts. While in college, she met her future husband, two-time World Series of Poker Champion Carlos Mortensen, who introduced her to the game. The two got married and bought a home. The young couple worked hard to pay the bills and Cecilia held several jobs. While her husband followed his own career as a professional poker player, Cecilia also played part-time. She sharpened her game by spending numerous hours watching and supporting her husband who also gave her advice.
Cecilia Reyes-Mortensen Poker
In 1998, Cecilia and her husband moved permanently to the United States where Carlos could better pursue poker. While he was busy winning a World Series of Poker bracelet, Cecilia played in tournaments and soon made the decision to become a full-time player herself. Her first big win came at the Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi. She took first place at the Limit Hold’Em event and earned $58,000. Since then she has cashed at several major tournaments. In 2004 at the World Series of Poker, she took eighth place in the $1,500 Limit Hold’Em event which earned her $25,180. A few months later at the 2004 Legends of Poker, she came in a respectable ninth place in No Limit Hold’Em. At the 2005 World Series of Poker Ladies Event, Cecilia came in fourth place which earned her $38,285. Her performance at the Ladies Event caught the attention of the World Poker Tour. She was invited to play in the WPT Ladies Night Out II event at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles where she outlasted over 600 contestants to make it to the finals. It was there that she went up against Aidiliy Elviro, Marsha Waggoner, Terresa Gallagher, Isabelle Mercier, and eventual event champion Jennifer Tilly. Her aggressive play earned her a lot of respect and she was no longer considered just the wife of a WSOP champion. She was finally regarded as a professional on her own merits. It is interesting to note that of everyone at that final table, they were all either wives or girlfriends of professional male players.
Cecilia Reyes Online
Cecilia Reyes keeps an online profile with Facebook (www.facebook.com/people/Cecilia_Reyes-Mortensen/600715881), add her as friend to see her publich photos and rants.
Cecilia Reyes-Mortensen Poker Future
In 2006, Cecilia divorced from Carlos. Since then she has been very low-key in the poker industry. But her ex-husband did instill in her some fundamentals such as varying her game and switching her style depending on who she faced across the table. Yet her ex-husband cannot be handed all the credit. It takes a smart player to take advice and apply it successfully to their game and Cecilia has done just that.
Cecilia continues to play online and at live games. One of her favorite places for live play is the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Since her divorce, she plays under her maiden name of Reyes. She has stated that the reason she does well at poker is because she has passion and patience. It is advice that any aspiring player should take to heart.
