Maurice Hawkins headed to Harrah’s Pompano Seaside for the World Sequence of Poker Circuit sequence, and he got here out of it together with his seventeenth Ring by profitable the $400 “Grand Grasp” occasion.
The one participant with extra rings is Ari Engel, who has 18.
With a view to win this one, Hawkins needed to come again from 4 blinds for six orbits with 4 gamers left. He received a pair flips, discovered some good spots and battled again into rivalry. Whereas he stalled in third-place within the first occasion of the sequence, he was in a position seal the deal on this one.
How does he maintain doing it?
“I’m a combination of every part,” he informed the WSOP after his win. “I just about research each kind of fashion there may be. From solvers and GTO, to exploitative, and a combination simply being a really feel participant. However on the finish of the day, it’s about understanding your opponent, dominating your opponent, and taking the precise model in opposition to the opponent you’re up in opposition to. One model received’t work for each opponent. There was a combination of all of these issues in late recreation. Understanding methods to change the gears of all of them.”
The Grand Grasp was a kind of pseudo-seniors occasion that required entrants to be 40 years-old or older. Gamers began the match with 40,000 chips with the blinds at 40/40/40, and every stage was 40 minutes. The occasion attracted 208. Hawkins, 45, referred to as himself “The Grand Grasp,” one thing he actually believes.
Once more, from the WSOP:
“I imply I’m the GOAT, and never simply the circuit GOAT. Individuals don’t need to see me on the desk, they don’t need to see me in any respect and it doesn’t matter what stage they’re on. I’m simply blissful to have the ability to get up day-after-day, feed my household, and play poker.
It’s not broke, so I don’t repair it. However every one in every of my years I’m enhancing and getting higher and higher. I’ve given up some leaks in life to only concentrate on my recreation as a result of it’s time to take this to the moon.”
You higher imagine he has Engel and his 18 Circuit rings on his thoughts, and he plans on getting into as many Circuit occasions as he may this yr so as to reclaim his spot on the highest of the Circuit ring record.
“We’re going to Cherokee subsequent. Normally I solely go there for the later occasions, however since I win an occasion each time I’m going to Cherokee, I made a decision that I might go your entire week, so I’ll be there on Wednesday. They received me for the entire 10, 11 days.”
If he continues to dominate at Harrah’s Cherokee, he might win sufficient to crest the $4 million in WSOP money mark. He presently has a bit greater than $6 million complete.
His first Circuit ring got here in a $560 occasion at Harrah’s Atlantic Metropolis in 2008. He received two extra in 2009 after which didn’t win one other till 2014.
Hawkins’ win launched him from a second-place tie with Daniel Lowery. Sitting in fourth on the all-time Circuit ring record is Josh Reichard with 15. Rounding out the highest 5 is Valentin Vornicu with 13.
