Maurice Hawkins Extends WSOP Circuit Record With Ring No. 26

Maurice Hawkins left Las Vegas without the bracelet he had been chasing, but he did not have to wait long to add another piece of WSOP hardware.

The all-time WSOP Circuit leader defeated a 400-entry field in the $1,100 Mini Main Event at Choctaw, collecting $76,380 and moving his record total to 26 rings. Hawkins is now six clear of Ari Engel and Daniel Lowery, who share second place with 20 apiece.

The final stages brought together several familiar names. Engel reached the final four in pursuit of his 21st ring, while Will Givens arrived at Choctaw shortly after finishing 19th in the WSOP Main Event for a career-best $325,000.

Engel’s run ended in fourth for $25,170, before Givens collected $35,450 in third. That left Hawkins heads-up against Brian Green, with $76,380 and the Circuit ring still to be decided.

Green came close to denying the record holder. Hawkins later said his opponent had reduced him to just six big blinds, but he managed to reverse the match and complete the comeback. Green received $50,900 as runner-up.

After the tournament, Hawkins said:

He got me down to six bigs. 

It was not enough.

Hawkins and Engel had spent part of the final day seated next to one another, adding another chapter to a title race that was far tighter only a year ago.

Hawkins and Engel were tied on 19 rings before Hawkins won twice at the 2025 WSOP Circuit stop in New Orleans. Since then, Hawkins has accelerated while Engel has remained on 20. Daniel Lowery has also reached 20, leaving the pair six victories behind the leader.

The Choctaw victory was Hawkins’ fifth ring win of 2026. He previously won two events at Horseshoe Tunica, a $400 event at Grand Victoria Casino and the $1,100 no-limit hold’em tournament at Harrah’s Cherokee.

That Cherokee result produced his 25th ring and a $113,223 payout. Ring No. 26 arrived after a productive but frustrating WSOP in Las Vegas, where Hawkins came within one place of his first bracelet in the $600 mixed no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha event.

He later finished fourth from 3,668 entries in the $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship, earning a career-best $432,875. His recorded live tournament earnings now stand at approximately $7.7 million.

The results have come during a turbulent year away from the tables. Hawkins filed for bankruptcy in April, shortly before winning his 25th ring, but his tournament schedule has continued to produce the strongest run of his Circuit career.