WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica Wraps Up; Maurice Hawkins Denied Record 15th Ring
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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Horseshoe Tunica $1,700 Main Event in Mississippi wrapped up this week with Randy Paguio of San Diego winning his second gold ring and cashing for $193,766. Paguio defeated Tennessee’s Kenneth Mason during heads-up play, who in turn earned $119,755 for his runner-up finish.
The Main Event attracted 674 entrants to generate a massive prize pool of just over $1 million. The seven-figure prize pool was by far the largest of the 13 tournaments on the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica stop, which awarded over $2.5 million in prize money.
WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE (USD) | |
| 1 | Randy Paguio | San Diego, CA | $193,764 | |
| 2 | Kenneth Mason | La Vergne, TN | $119,755 | |
| 3 | Brandon Butler | St. Louis, MO | $88,163 | |
| 4 | Sean Maurer | Grayville, IL | $65,658 | |
| 5 | Adam Ross | Roswell, GA | $49,472 | |
| 6 | Donovan Dean | Rainsville, AL | $37,719 | |
| 7 | Michael Esquivel | Clarendon Hills, IL | $29,104 | |
| 8 | John Gallaher | Lebanon, TN | $22,730 | |
| 9 | BJ McBrayer | Tuscaloosa, AL | $17,970 |
Paguio, who now has $230,617 in tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob, entered the final day as chip leader and continued to run up his stack from there. The Californian eliminated five other players at the final table before eliminating Mason.
Paguio earned his first ring in 2012 by taking down Event #1: $355 No-Limit Hold'em at WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego for $21,844. He finished second in the same event less than a year later for $9,878.
“After my mother Rubenita 'Ruby' Paguio passed, I won my first ring and that was for her. I want to dedicate this one to my grandmother Nenita Cuevas who just recently passed,” Pagula said after his recent victory.
Other notable players who made deep runs in the Circuit Horseshoe Tunica Main Event include four-time ring winner John Gallaher (8th - $22,730), BJ McBrayer (9th - $17,970), Eric Salazar (12th - $14385), Carl Masters (17th - $9,572) and Stephen Song (21st - $7,960).
Maurice Hawkins Denied 15th Ring
Maurice Hawkins, who sits comfortably on top of the all-time Circuit ring list with 14 rings to his name, was on the hunt for a 15th at the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica stop.
Hawkins, of Florida, came within inches of that record-extending ring in Event #8: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Black Chip Bounty but finished in second place for $15,971.
It was a David-versus-Goliath of a match that saw Hawkins fall to John Marlow, a fellow Floridian who only had one WSOP cash to his name heading into the heads-up match (compared to the 149 WSOP cashes of Hawkins).
For his first-place finish, Marlow earned his first ring and a career-high cash of $25,841. The very next day, Marlow finished in 24th place in Event #10: $400 NLH for $714, bringing his lifetime tournament earnings to $52,825.
Overall, it was a very strong Circuit stop for Hawkins. He had a deep run in the Main Event, ultimately finishing in 27th place for $5,725, and also finished in 29th place in Event #7: No-Limit Hold'em Knockout Bounty for $996.
While he might not have earned a 15th ring, Hawkins now has 151 WSOP cashes to his name to make up a hefty portion of his $4.3 million in live tournament earnings.
Preston McEwen Gets His First
Another highlight of the WSOP Circuit Tunica stop was Tennessee’s Preston McEwen winning his first ring. McEwen, who has seen success in tournaments and Circuit stops throughout the south, took down Event #11: $400 NLH Turbo for $18,157 after defeating David 'Ruetama' Moses, another notable southern grinder. McEwen also found a 19th place finish in the Horseshoe Tunica for $7,960.
McEwen, who has $485,890 in tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob, came close to winning a ring back at 2019 WSOP Circuit Cherokee, where he finished third in Event #1: $400 Double Stack No-Limit Hold'em for $22,325. A few years earlier, he found a sixth-place finish at the WSOP Circuit Tunica stop in Event #11: $365 No-Limit Hold'em (Single Re-entry).
McEwen’s biggest live score came just months ago when he made a deep run in the 2021 WSOP Main Event that extended into Day 6. McEwen fell in 57th place for $113,800 when he got it in with ace-king against pocket jacks and couldn’t win the flip.
Later in the series, John Holley of Destin, Florida won his seventh ring by taking down Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em for $14,588.
A full list of players who won rings during the 2021 World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Tunica can be found below.
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WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica Ring Winners
| TOURNAMENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | HOMETOWN | PRIZE | |
| Event #1: $400 NLH Double Stack | 342 | $112,860 | John Duke | Benton, AR | $24,062 | |
| Event #2: $400 NLH Multi-Flight | 1,585 | $523,050 | Michael Zuro | Salem, OR | $77,895 | |
| Event #3: $400 NLH | 181 | $59,730 | Dale James | Tracie City, TN | $14,676 | |
| Event #4: $400 NLH 6-Max | 253 | $83,490 | Calvin Kincade | Paragould, AR | $19,328 | |
| Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 154 | $50,820 | Sokchheka Pho | Memphis, TN | $13,044 | |
| Event #6: $400 NLH Turbo | 288 | $95,040 | Lovell "Da Wiz" Wilkerson | Smyrna, GA | $20,620 | |
| Event #7: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 555 | $183,150 | Donnie Phan | Nashville, TN | $34,331 | |
| Event #8: $600 NLH Black Chip Bounty | 287 | $119,105 | John Marlow | Apopka, FL | $25,841 | |
| Event #9: $1,700 Main Event | 674 | $1,021,110 | Randy Paguio | San Diego, CA | $193,764 | |
| Event #10: $400 NLH | 229 | $75,570 | Jonah Labranche | Phoenix, AZ | $17,461 | |
| Event #11: $400 NLH Turbo | 240 | $79,200 | Preston McEwen | Murfreesboro, TN | $18,157 | |
| Event #12: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 178 | $58,700 | John Holley | Destin, FL | $14,588 | |
| Event #13: No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack | 163 | $53,790 | Donnie Phan | Nashville, TN | $13,641 |
*Images courtesy of WSOP.
