Northern California Poker Legend Phil Hawkins Passes Away
PokerNews has learned that Phil Hawkins, a longtime poker player and former cardroom owner from Northern California, has passed away.
In that late 1990s and early 2000s, the late NorCal poker legend owned the Dealers Choice Cardroom in Auburn, California. He also had success as both a tournament and cash game player, and left a lasting impression on the community.
Leaving a Mark on the California Poker Scene
Years ago, Hawkins sold his poker room, and the new owner changed the name to Deuces Wild. The sale didn't go well for either party as the Deuces Wild owner had his license revoked and business closed.
Hawkins would go on to co-own the Atwood Liquor & Deli. But his true passion was poker, a game he began playing long before the Chris Moneymaker boom era. In 2004, he earned his biggest live tournament score — $100,102 — for taking down a $1,570 buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo event during the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
He racked up over $200,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. The NorCal poker player was most recently known to have played at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA, a town near Sacramento.
According to Hawkins' friends, he was always someone to go to for advice on life and poker. One friend of his said the best advice he received from Hawkins was, "I don't get why good players give bad players a bad time for playing bad. What do they want them to do, play better or drive them off?"
“It is definitely strategy. You have to know how to play, especially in the high limits,” Hawkins said in a 2011 interview. “It’s not a card game where you have to rely on cards. It’s one of those things. I don’t know why some people have it and others don’t.”
Hawkins, also an avid fisherman, will be missed around the Northern California poker community. PokerNews extends our condolences to his friends and family.
