WSOP Mystery Bounty Debuts at Circuit Stop; Maurice Hawkins Denied 15th Ring Again
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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park in Florida got underway last week and it didn’t take long for a few big stories to emerge from the felt at the latest Circuit stop.
The south Florida stop consists of 15 events with buy-ins ranging from $400 to $2,200, which so far have generated $1.8 million in prize pool money with the $1,700 Main Event still to come this weekend. Completed tournaments include a Senior’s Event, a pot-limit Omaha tournament, and the WSOP’s first Mystery Bounty event.
Hawkins Denied 15th Ring — Again
PokerNews reported last week that all-time Circuit ring leader Maurice Hawkins was denied a record-extending 15th ring at WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica when he finished in second place in Event #8: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Black Chip Bounty for $15,971, falling to John Marlow of Florida.
Well, it happened again.
Less than a month after his close call in Mississippi, Hawkins had another one in Florida in Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack. Hawkins entered the final table third in chips and ran up his stack to get heads-up against Moises Jattin of Miami.
Hawkins couldn’t overcome the chip disparity between himself at Jattin and ultimately finished in second place for $38,674, once again getting within inches but coming up short in his quest for a 15th ring and title.
Meanwhile, Jattin, a 25-year-old real estate agent who moved to Florida from Barranquilla, Colombia at a young age, earned his first WSOP Circuit title and ring to go along with the first-place prize of $62,580.
The run-good must run in the family because Jattin’s older brother is Farid Jattin, who sits at the top of Colombia’s all-time money list with $6.1 million in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
“I’ve just been going over hands with him over the years and just going with the flow, and that’s been the word of the year this year. 2022 is all about flow,” the younger Jattin said after his Isle Casino Pompano Park victory. “I’m going with my flow. I’m not really following the charts. I’m going with what I think is right and luckily it worked out this time.”
Hawkins also made a deep run earlier in the series in Event #3: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Purple Chip Bounty, in which he finished in fourth place for $6,626.
While Hawkins has yet to win that 15th ring, he is clearly off to a fire-hot start in 2022 that now includes a strong showing at the WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park stop.
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WSOP Mystery Bounty Debut
Another highlight of this year’s Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park stop was the WSOP’s first mystery bounty tournament with Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty, which attracted a field of 278 runners and generated $115,450 in prize money. Of the $600 buy-in, $415 went into the regular prize pool and $100 went into the bounty prize pool.
The WSOP had originally planned to hold a Mystery Bounty event at the 2020 WSOP in Las Vegas until pandemic restrictions altered those plans. In the meantime, Wynn popularized the format which has since been hosted at other venues and on other tours across the country.
As the tournament name suggests, the rewards for knockouts were a mystery, though there were 12 guaranteed bounties: one $1,500 bounty, two $1,000 bounties, five $500 bounties and four $300 bounties. The rest were determined by the remaining bounty pool.
Justin Matecki of Melbourne, Florida took down the event to earn $25,364, his maiden ring, and second WSOP cash after defeating Chad Summers during heads-up play, who in turn earned a payday of $15,676.
Given the additional sweat and excitement it brings to the game, the Mystery Bounty structure will undoubtedly be a popular addition to the WSOP Circuit.
Other Highlights
Also during WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park, Phillip Hui emerged victorious in Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em to earn $21,198 and his fifth WSOPC title.
The victory puts Hui even with Loni Harwood, his wife, who herself has five rings to her name. The couple are also tied in WSOP bracelets, as both halves of the marriage have won two of them.
“(It) feels good to tie Loni in rings. That feels the best. She’s always had that over me. We are tied in bracelets and now both tied in rings,” Hui said.
Earlier in the series, Angelina Rich took down Event #3: $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Purple Chip Bounty to earn her first ring and $22,885.
Rich made a number of deep runs last fall at the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, including a 28th place finish in Event #22: LADIES No-Limit Hold'em Championship and an 89th place finish in Event #75: Freezeout No-Limit Holdem.
After her victory this week, Rich now boasts $611,881 in lifetime tournament earnings.
WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park will wrap up on Monday, Feb. 14 with Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Last Chance.
A full table of ring winners so far at WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park is available below.
WSOP Circuit Isle Casino Pompano Park Ring Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Hometown | Prize | |
| Event #1: $600 NLH Multi-Flight | 1,162 | $598,430 | Fernando Rodriguez | Puerto Rico | $94,947 | |
| Event #2: $1,100 NLH | 154 | $150,150 | Kyle Lazzaro | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | $39,324 | |
| Event #3: $1,700 NLH Purple Chip Bounty | 71 | $72,065 | Angelina Rich | Seattle, Washington | $22,885 | |
| Event #4: $400 NLH Seniors Event | 353 | $116,490 | Thomas Curtis | Miami Springs, Florida | $24,732 | |
| Event #5: $400 NLH | 298 | $98,340 | Phillip Hui | San Antonio, Texas | $21,198 | |
| Event #6: $400 NLH Monster Stack | 1,156 | $381,480 | Moises Jattin | Miami, Florida | $62,580 | |
| Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | 145 | $74,675 | William Toy | Mt. Sterling, Kentucky | $19,628 | |
| Event #8: $400 NLH | 243 | $80,190 | Elias Nassif | Plantation, Florida | $18,238 | |
| Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty | 278 | $115,450 | Justin Matecki | Melbourne, Florida | $25,364 | |
| Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold'em | 242 | $79,860 | Joseph Hebert | Metairie, Louisiana | $18,159 | |
| Event #11: $2,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller | 187 | $374,000 | Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. | Winter Garden, Florida | $93,116 |
*Images courtesy of WSOP.
