Hamid Izadi had a tall order in front of him today, going into the final table in the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Southern Indiana Main Event against an incredibly tough lineup. His opponents included Robert Hankins, who won this same event in 2016, Mark Davis, a WPT champion with millions in live earnings, and all-time ring winner Maurice Hawkins.
But Izadi was anything but out of his element against such a stacked final table, and had an impressive WSOPC resume of his own going into today — including a Main Event title from 2024 and eight WSOPC ring wins. Izadi added to his already impressive resume today, outlasting some of the best players on the Circuit today and defeating Hawkins heads-up to claim his second Main Event ring, ninth WSOPC ring, and the $111,979 top prize.
Never a doubt
"When we started today, I felt like I’m gonna win it," Izadi told PokerOrg following the win. "When I got the first hand dealt to me… today for some reason, I was zoned out on everything else around me. I was focused on today’s game. When I’m focused, I play very well.”
"I’ve won a lot of rings." Izadi continued. "When you win a Main Event, there’s more pleasure. You’re playing against better players, it’s a better structure and obviously better payouts. Before the first Main Event win, I’ve been in several final tables but always finished short. I think as poker players we are competitive. Even if I finish second it doesn’t feel right. I’m a very competitive person. I really wanted to be first. It’s not all about money. I just like to be accomplished in something I believe I’m good at.”
Izadi began the day with the third-largest stack and quickly narrowed the gap between himself and start-of-day chip leader Mark Davis after eliminating Adam Thomas, Brent Young, and Heath Pender in ninth, seventh, and fifth place, respectively. Following the elimination of Ben Ramon in fourth, stacks were fairly even and a lengthy three-handed battle ensued between Izadi, Hawkins and Davis.
'Sometimes it's just one player's day'
“Maurice and me, we run into each other. He’s a good player, I have respect for him. Mark is a good player, I have respect for him as well. Sometimes, it’s just one player's day. Somebody’s gonna win it. I think I played very well. I believe in my game, I believe in my instincts. I used it to my best ability today.”
The final three players went back and forth for several hours before two major hands saw Izadi start to pull away from his opponents, both of which came at the expense of Davis. Izadi first got paid off with a rivered straight before catching Davis bluffing with queen-high. Soon after, Izadi claimed the rest of Davis' chips after cracking Davis' pocket queens with ace-nine, giving him close to a 4:1 chip advantage over Hawkins going into heads-up play.
It only took a few hands of heads-up play for Hawkins to commit his remaining chips, holding king-jack against Izadi's pocket eights. After whiffing the board, the all-time ring winner was forced to settle for second place.
WSOPC Southern Indiana Main Event final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamid Izadi | $111,979 |
| 2 | Maurice Hawkins | $74,244 |
| 3 | Mark Davis | $50,323 |
| 4 | Ben Ramon | $34,891 |
| 5 | Heath Pender | $24,759 |
| 6 | Brevin Andreadis | $17,990 |
| 7 | Brent Young | $13,394 |
| 8 | Robert Hankins | $10,223 |
| 9 | Adam Thomas | $8,005 |
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