Throughout the 2000’s, Carlos Mortensen molded himself into one of poker’s biggest stars. From 2001-10, he won the 2001 WSOP Main Event, three WPT titles, and two WSOP gold bracelets. But as with most industries, you’re only as good as your last year in poker. And for Mortensen, last year was pretty bad.

The Spaniard managed just three small cashes for a total of $29,235. Now for an amateur who’s trying to carve out a poker career for them self, this isn’t too bad of a total. But for a guy who’s earned $11,469,512 over time, $29k for an entire year just isn’t going to cut it.

Up until this week, Mortensen wasn’t faring much better than last year. He’d earned $84,870, which is practically pocket change for somebody who’s made $1 million-plus in four different years. But “The Matador” changed everything after making a deep run in the 2013 WSOP Main Event.

Mortensen was one of the bigger chip stacks throughout the latter stages of the Main Event and even looked like he was a strong bet to make the final table. However, with 10 players remaining and blinds rising, his stack took a beating after he folded to several big raises from opponents.

Eventually, Mortensen became the short stack and needed a big hand badly. On a board of Tc-6c-3s-9c, J.C. Tran shoved and prompted Mortensen to call with his remaining 3.5 million chips. The latter flipped over Ac-9h for a pair and flush draw while Tran showed 8c-7s for a straight. Mortensen needed any club but a 7c to win with a flush. However, the river was a 2d, which sent The Matador out in 10th with a $573,204 payout.

It’s somewhat disappointing that a dynamic pro like Mortensen fell just short of the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table. However, it’s definitely nice to see him shake off a down past 18 months to grab a huge cash and jump back into the spotlight.