Maurice Hawkins has extended his record by winning the Mini Main at the WSOPC Tunica, winning his 22nd-career WSOP Circuit ring. Hawkins bested a field of 625 entries to win $35,146 and move two rings ahead of Ari Engel on the all-time WSOP Circuit ring leaderboard.
Hawkins defeated seven-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Cody Stanford in heads-up play.
Hawkins celebrated on social media in a recently deleted tweet: “The winner of the Tunica Mini Main is your boy for ring number 22. Like I said, printing money is what I do.”
Recent controversy
Maurice Hawkins has been in the news over the last couple of months for all the wrong reasons. In January, a mediation settlement was reached over claims that he broke a backing agreement with poker pro Denise Pratt.
While a mediator concluded that there was “no conclusive fault” from either party, more drama ensued afterwards, as Hawkins posted the mediation results online, immediately violating the terms of their confidentiality agreement.
Despite Pratt claiming that she’s owed $11,000, the two have agreed to move on from the incident. Pratt released a statement through Dan “Jungleman” Cates, who paid for the arbitration, which lasted seven months.
Hawkins was also involved in a fight in a private poker game in Florida at the end of November, with the video going viral on social media. Hawkins and fellow poker player Eugene Castaneda came to blows, and guns were reportedly involved, though they were never seen on the surveillance footage. The home game continued on after the incident.
Who is Maurice Hawkins?
Maurice Hawkins is a 22-time WSOP Circuit winner with a reputation for being a friendly but ruthless guy at the table, and a player embroiled in controversy off the felt. He has been repeatedly accused of stiffing backers, most notably Randy Garcia, who won a civil judgment in 2022, which ordered Hawkins to repay him. The two finally came to an agreement with Garcia to satisfy all conditions of the six-figure judgment.
Despite all his WSOP Circuit success, Hawkins has yet to win a coveted WSOP bracelet. Nevertheless, he has made four WSOP final tables, finishing in ninth place three times and picking up a career-best sixth-place finish in the 2017 WSOP MonsterStack for $213,591.
According to The Hendon Mob, not including his recent win, Hawkins has 466 recorded tournament cashes for over $6.8 million in live career tournament earnings. His best recorded cash came in the 2023 WSOP Main Event, when he finished 35th for $280,100.
List of Maurice Hawkins’ 22 WSOP Circuit rings
It wouldn’t be fun without making a list of his WSOP Circuit Ring wins. Hawkins is up to 22 and has won a ring every year for the past four years. More impressively, five of his 22 WSOP Circuit rings have come in Main Events. Despite 258 recorded WSOP cashes (17th all-time) and $4,551,915 in WSOP earnings, Hawkins hasn’t won a bracelet.
He generally grinds in the Southeast part of the United States, which explains why he didn’t play the Planet Hollywood series before the poker room shut down last month.
| Event | Date | Place | Earnings |
| WSOP Circuit – Horseshoe Tunica #2: $400 Mini Main NLH $150K GTD | Jan 22 2026 | 1 of 625 | $35,146 |
| WSOP Circuit – Caesars New Orleans Event #11: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Aug 28 2025 | 1 of 159 | $12,996 |
| WSOP Circuit – Caesars New Orleans Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha | Aug 25 2025 | 1 of 106 | $14,548 |
| WSOP Circuit – Horseshoe Tunica Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | Apr 20 2025 | 1 of 571 | $34,711 |
| WSOP Circuit – Horseshoe Baltimore Event #10: $1,700 MAIN EVENT | Feb 26 2025 | 1 of 468 | $140,752 |
| WSOP Circuit – Harrah’s Pompano Beach Event #15: $400 Grand Master 40/40/40 | Feb 08 2025 | 1 of 208 | $16,137 |
| WSOP Circuit – Harrah’s Cherokee Event #13: $1,700 MAIN EVENT | May 09 2024 | 1 of 981 | $259,160 |
| WSOP Circuit – Harrah’s Cherokee Event #16: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | May 13 2023 | 1 of 92 | $54,599 |
| WSOP Circuit – CHOCTAW DURANT Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em | Jan 05 2020 | 1 of 218 | $16,898 |
| WSOP Circuit – HORSESHOE TUNICA Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | Apr 30 2019 | 1 of 432 | $31,372 |
| WSOP Circuit – HARRAH’S CHEROKEE Event #4: $600 No-Limit Hold’em | Apr 13 2019 | 1 of 391 | $44,297 |
| WSOP Circuit – HARRAH’S NEW ORLEANS Event #8: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller ($100K Guarantee) | May 16 2018 | 1 of 128 | $71,680 |
| WSOP Circuit – HORSESHOE COUNCIL BLUFFS Event #10: $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em MAIN EVENT | Apr 06 2017 | 1 of 271 | $97,561 |
| WSOP Circuit – PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB Event #12: $365 No-Limit Hold’em | Feb 18 2017 | 1 of 167 | $13,527 |
| WSOP Circuit – PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB Event #10: $1,675 MAIN EVENT | Nov 17 2016 | 1 of 261 | $95,921 |
| WSOP Circuit – HARRAH’S CHEROKEE Event #10A/B: $1,675 MAIN EVENT | Apr 21 2016 | 1 of 1008 | $279,722 |
| WSOP Circuit – HORSESHOE COUNCIL BLUFFS Event #11: $1,675 MAIN EVENT | Apr 07 2016 | 1 of 321 | $113,152 |
| WSOP Circuit – HORSESHOE COUNCIL BLUFFS Event #9: $365 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em | Apr 05 2016 | 1 of 265 | $19,477 |
| WSOP Circuit – PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB Event #1: No-Limit Hold’em Million Dollar Guarantee | Feb 04 2014 | 1 of 2531 | $183,498 |
| WSOP Circuit – HORSESHOE SOUTHERN INDIANA Event #10: $1,060 No-Limit Hold’em | Oct 29 2009 | 1 of 132 | $39,816 |
| WSOP Circuit – CAESARS PALACE Event #1: $1,060 No-Limit Hold’em | Apr 10 2009 | 1 of 157 | $40,355 |
| WSOP Circuit – HARRAHS ATLANTIC CITY Event #4: $560 No-Limit Hold’em | Dec 07 2008 | 1 of 312 | $48,360 |
WSOP Circuit ring leaderboard
The leaderboard has greatly shifted over the last year, with Ari Engel starting 2025 in front with 18 rings. Both players moved up to 19 rings in March, winning a ring just five days apart. However, Hawkins would move way out in front, winning two rings over a couple of days in New Orleans.
Engel would win his 20th in Council Bluffs a month later, while Daniel Lowery earned number 19 to get back into the conversation shortly thereafter.
While Josh Reichard doesn’t play as much on the WSOP Circuit anymore, he won ring number 17 in November, keeping his name tied for fourth place on the list. Mike Setera won five rings and a bracelet in 2025, moving him up the leaderboard with 17 total.
While a WSOP Circuit ring used to grant you access to a $1,000,000 WSOP Tournament of Champions freeroll, which came with a WSOP bracelet, WSOP now awards a $5,000 package to the winner’s choosing of WSOP Europe or WSOP Paradise. The package is added value and does not come out of the prize pool.
