Maurice Hawkins is another step closer to his goal of 200 WSOP Circuit rings after a win in the Mini Main at the WSOPC Choctaw stop on Friday.
The win marks his 26th ring, which extends the all-time record once again.
"I've got the recipe, and I'm spreading it all over America," Hawkins told Jeremy Geist after the win. "I figured some things out about my game, about other people's games, and now I'm just applying it."
Hawkins has had a strange year, and his success on the felt has been mirrored by trouble off of it. He filed for bankruptcy in the spring, just a few weeks after winning ring #24. The 25th ring happened soon after at Cherokee before a trip to Vegas for the WSOP, where Hawkins missed out on his first bracelet in a runner-up finish in the $600 NLH/PLO split.
No easy rings
It wasn't an easy path to #26, and Hawkins had to come back from near death in heads-up play after surviving a final four that included Ari Engel and Will Givens. Engel bounced in fourth and Givens in third to set up a heads-up showdown with Brian Green.
"He got me down to six bigs."
But you have to do better than that to beat the all-time ring leader in the championship rounds, so Green settled for the consolation prize of $50,900.
Say what you will about Hawkins, you can't question his experience. And now he is back on the WSOP Circuit, where he's the man to beat at any stop.
"After a while, you know, it's the same poker tournament just over and over and over again. And believe it or not, when you play against better players, you accumulate chips a little bit less. But when you play against worse players, you accumulate a lot more frequently."
WSOP Circuit ring race
- Maurice Hawkins - 26
- Ari Engel - 20
- Daniel Lowery - 20
- Mike Setera - 18
- Josh Reichard - 16
The Circuit is a welcome change of pace from the WSOP, where there are more sharks in the water. Hawkins prefers his home turf.
"No disrespect to anybody here, but the accumulation of chips is a little bit easier. We're out of Vegas, so there is less competition."
As for everything else? The debt, the controversy, and the financial troubles?
"My family's ballin'. All of my kids are successful. My health is where it needs to be. I have zero worries. God is good."
The WSOP Choctaw stop continues this weekend, so keep it tuned to PokerOrg's live coverage from the floor of the $1,700 Main Event.
WSOP Choctaw Mini Main Event final table results
- Maurice Hawkins - $76,380
- Brian Green - $50,900
- Will Givens - $35,450
- Ari Engel - $25,170
- Almog Biton - $18,240
- David Emmons - $13,490
- James Misenheimer - $10,180
- Kamlesh Chauhan - $7,860
- Michael Stringer - $6,190
