Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 12th WSOP Circuit Ring in Cherokee
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On Monday, Maurice Hawkins won his 12th World Series of Poker Circuit ring, putting him tied atop the list of most rings won, along with Valentin Vornicu. It came in Harrah's Cherokee Event #4: $600 No-Limit Hold'em where he outlasted a field of 391 to collect $44,297 and his 12th gold.
“It’s not really about the top spot. I still got the most money earned, most everything on the WSOP Circuit."
While most rings isn't the title he's most concerned about, Hawkins is happy with what his results indicate, as he shared with WSOP tournament reporters.
“It’s not really about the top spot," he said. "I still got the most money earned, most everything on the WSOP Circuit, so it’s pretty much the standard, but that makes me feel like my game has evolved to where it should be. I look forward to bigger and better things. It’s all about positivity and good flow of things going the right way.”
Hawkins, 39, has been all about the positivity of late, frequently posting inspirational messages on social media alongside the hashtag #HawksView, sharing his results and keeping the haters at bay.
Circuit Dominance
With 87 career WSOP Circuit cashes for a total of $1,668,698 in earnings, the West Palm Beach, Florida resident has been a dominant force on the Circuit for more than a decade. His first ring win came in December 2008 in a $560 buy-in NLH event at Harrah's Atlantic City, and he never looked back. In 2016, Hawkins won four rings, including capturing three of his four main event titles to date.
Vornicu had been sitting as the lone top ring winner since May 2018 went he won two events to go from 10 to 12 rings. Hawkins added No. 11 later that month, taking down the $2,200 High Roller at Harrah's New Orleans, and after nearly a year-long ring drought for both players, they're now tied.
I like this version of my picture....#Hawksview https://t.co/POZYWYfp4o
— Maurice Hawkins (@mauricehawkins)
In the time between Circuit wins, Hawkins won his first Heartland Poker Tour title for $113K in August and finished second to Isaac Haxton in the $10,500 Short Deck event at the Poker Masters in September for $115,500.
He's been heating up on the Circuit of late too, reaching the final table in seven out of 11 WSOP-C events he's played over the past couple months. One of those resulted in a third-place finish in the Tulsa Hard Rock Circuit Main Event just a few weeks back, where he won Casino Champ for the stop.
The grind is real , my game is evolving and there’s no PLAN B.#Hawksview https://t.co/cVEMYcL4fL
— Maurice Hawkins (@mauricehawkins)
In Monday's win, he returned third of 27 but went into the final table with average chips, before he found a way to close it out.
"It’s all about positivity and good flow of things going the right way.”
“I ran exceptionally well in every spot. And I played really well," Hawkins told Circuit reporters after the win. "I got a lot of third and fourth in the last couple of months. It feels great to finally get back to the winner’s circle. I don’t look at myself as a third-place finisher in any tournament.”
His hawk's view and evolving game seem to be paying off, and it seems only a matter of time before the animated and ambitious poker pro digs up more gold.
Harrah's Cherokee Event #4 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice Hawkins | West Palm Beach, Florida | $44,297 |
| 2 | LaVann Williams | Helena, Alabama | $27,376 |
| 3 | Justin Oliver | Southern Pines, North Carolina | $20,004 |
| 4 | Christopher Carey | Efland, North Carolina | $14,853 |
| 5 | Stanislav Angelov | Chicago, Illinois | $11,200 |
| 6 | Matthew Johnson | Smyrna, Tennessee | $8,572 |
| 7 | Chad Cooke | Morrisville, North Carolina | $6,657 |
| 8 | Michael Bennett | Cumming, Georgia | $5,244 |
| 9 | Matthew Higgins | Chattanooga, Tennessee | $4,188 |
