Maurice Hawkins denied first WSOP bracelet after heads-up comeback

Kenneth 'Brent' Gregory had the crowd behind him in a heads-up confrontation with Maurice Hawkins.

The speedy structure was no joke, and Gregory outlasted thousands of players to win his first bracelet. The $600 No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha combo drew 3,332 entries, so it was some surprise that the hyper-fast tournament shook out with the likes of Hawkins, Daniel Negreanu, Alex Foxen, and Josh Reichard sitting at the end. 

The finale would also include John Holley, who brought 12 WSOP Circuit rings of his own to the party. Combined with the 25 of Hawkins and the 17 of Reichard, more than 50 WSOP rings were represented at the final table. 

Rail pushes Reichard, Gregory

It was also the first final table of the summer for Negreanu, and it would come to a shocking end at the hands of Hawkins. Kelly Mahana and Holley bowed out next before a crucial double knockout by Hawkins in a hand of PLO. Foxen and John Ghosn would fall in the same go, losing to Hawkins and his when the board flopped to give him a straight. 

Josh Reichard stepped off the stage in third place.

The dust settled, and three-handed play started hot after Reichard doubled through Gregory to leave the eventual champ at the bottom of the chip counts. Hawkins, still in command, had more than half the chips in play.

It was no shock that Hawkins, who carries a lot of baggage from claims of unpaid debts, did not have the crowd behind him. Reichard had his usual heavy rail of Midwestern poker supporters, and many of them would stick around to pull for Gregory after their guy eventually bowed out in third place. 

Gregory side-stepped any outward opinion of Hawkins, but he felt the support from all over the world. 

"I had thousands of people probably pulling for me today, so it feels pretty damn good. At least they were pulling for me when I got heads-up."

It was a disappointing end for a visibly emotional Hawkins.

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The comeback

A visibly emotional Hawkins would enter heads-up play with a big advantage, but it went away after Gregory doubled and the tone shifted in what once seemed like a runaway victory. 

• Hawkins:
• Gregory:
• Board:

"Once I got the double up, there was the whole atmosphere where everyone was pulling for me. I felt like it was gonna happen. It's just one of those things."

Gregory soon doubled again after a shove on the turn:

• Hawkins:
• Gregory:
• Board:

The river was , and Gregory took the chip lead. 

Hawkins would find a hope spot shortly after, getting it in on the turn with the best hand. 

• Hawkins:
• Gregory:
• Board:

The river sealed it and brought the counts back to near even, but Gregory pulled away to take the lead before the final clash. Hawkins was all in after the flop, and he needed a lot of help to stay in the tournament.

• Gregory:
• Hawkins:
• Board:

The board finished up with and to seal Gregory's unlikely victory.

^{Images courtesy of World Series of Poker.}