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A three-way tie second-place tie on the all-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) is no more as Maurice Hawkins picked up his 16th Circuit ring, putting himself firmly in second place below Ari Engel and pushing 15-time ring winners Josh Reichard and Daniel Lowery down the list.
Hawkins earned the 16th ring by taking down the $1,700 buy-in WSOP Cherokee Main Event, a tournament that drew 981 runners for a prize pool of nearly $1.5 million.
Hawkins, who long held the all-time ring lead before a recent run by Engel, primarily in the mixed game arena, faced a formidable final table that included bracelet winner James Calderaro and five-time ring winner Matt Higgins, who finished runner-up for $160,176 as he was denied ring #6.
WSOC Cherokee Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice Hawkins | $259,160 | |
| 2 | Matt Higgins | $160,176 | |
| 3 | James Caldarero | $117,850 | |
| 4 | Chris George | $87,721 | |
| 5 | Kris Duren | $66,066 | |
| 6 | Derek Nold | $50,352 | |
| 7 | Michael Lawrence | $38,840 | |
| 8 | Mark Merritt | $30,327 | |
| 9 | Tace Henderson | $23,973 |
Another Ring List Adjustment
The race to top of the all-time Circuit ring leaderboard has heated up in recent years and several players, including Hawkins, have shown no signs of slowing down.
Just a month after winning his record-extending 17th ring in February, Engel was denied an 18th ring as he finished runner-up in an online NLH PKO event for $3,546.
Meanwhile, Reichard had a fifth-place finish at WSOP Grand Victoria in April after winning his 15th ring and $19,786 in the same area in November 2023.
As for Hawkins, he finished third in February’s WSOPC Cherokee Main Event for $178,870 and followed it up with a runner-up finish at WSOPC Tunica for $11,446.
*Photos courtesy Hayley Hochstetler & 8131 Media
