{"id":288,"date":"2025-04-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2025-05-06T10:54:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T10:54:05","slug":"maurice-hawkins-wins-record-tying-19th-wsop-circuit-ring-but-the-poker-world-isnt-celebrating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/26\/maurice-hawkins-wins-record-tying-19th-wsop-circuit-ring-but-the-poker-world-isnt-celebrating\/","title":{"rendered":"Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 19th WSOP Circuit Ring, But the Poker World Isn\u2019t Celebrating"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 19th WSOP Circuit Ring, But the Poker World Isn\u2019t Celebrating<\/a> appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Tight race for the ring title<\/h2>\n

Maurice Hawkins is one of the most successful low-to-mid-stakes tournament poker players of all time. And this week, he continued to add to his legacy on the felt, winning the $400 No-Limit Hold\u2019em Monster Stack event at WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Tunica. It was his 19th<\/sup> WSOP Circuit ring victory, pulling him into a tie with Ari Engel for the most all-time.<\/p>\n

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embroiled in controversy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This should be celebrated. It\u2019s a wonderful accomplishment. But just as Hawkins is having a great week at the poker tables, he is embroiled in controversy away from them.<\/p>\n

Hawkins has a reputation as a brash trash talker, someone who isn\u2019t afraid to speak his mind, no matter who he angers. He is also someone whose reputation in the poker community when it comes to borrowing money or being backed is not good.<\/p>\n

Backer successfully sues for $115k<\/h2>\n

And that is where the controversy arises. In 2017, Hawkins met a man named Randy Garcia, who began backing him for 50% of his action. It went well at first, but before the 2017 WSOP, Hawkins told Garcia that he lost his poker bankroll playing blackjack.<\/p>\n

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Garcia eventually took Hawkins to court<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Garcia was forgiving about it and actually staked him further for the WSOP, since he wasn\u2019t going to get his money back if Hawkins didn\u2019t play poker. Hawkins did well, but there were further disagreements and\/or miscommunications about what was and wasn\u2019t owed. Garcia eventually took Hawkins to court to get the money he believed he was due.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the court ordered Hawkins to pay Garcia $115,828.34. Hawkins was upset that Garcia went public with the details of their financial arrangements and said everything was being handled amicably.<\/p>\n

Backer still trying to get his money<\/h2>\n

Fast forward to this past Monday, when Garcia tweeted that he was still trying to get his money from Hawkins. Calling Hawkins a \u201cpathological liar and a deadbeat,\u201d Garcia claimed that a year ago, Hawkins agreed, in a recorded interview, to pay him $30,000 before the 2024 WSOP, but the interviewer, Hesham \u201cKiero Loves You\u201d Elkhouly, \u201crefused to release the interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Maurice Hawkins update\u2026 one year ago the Maurice Hawkins fanboy @KieroLovesYou<\/a> did a video interview with Maurice and myself. In that interview he agreed to pay me $30,000 before the start of last years WSOP. One year later and he failed to do so. @KieroLovesYou<\/a> refused to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/o6mNkmHSpX<\/a><\/p>\n

— RanMan (@RandyGa51306496) April 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d wrote Garcia, \u201cI am working with a new lawyer to go after every penny he owes me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia attached a screenshot of the last message he received from Hawkins, dated March 7 (presumably 2025).<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me 30 days, if I don\u2019t pay you, then you know I truly don\u2019t care,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cYou will be paid in time. You [sic] been patient. And I notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia said he has not heard from Hawkins since.<\/p>\n

Randy Garcia is far from the only person in the poker community who has made their negative experiences with Maurice Hawkins known. PokerNews\u2019<\/em> Chad Holloway shared a video recorded by Denise Pratt when she tried to confront Hawkins about money he owed her:<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s it like to back Maurice Hawkins and have to deal with him?<\/p>\n

Denise Pratt (@SneakieNesie<\/a>), one of the nicest individuals you\u2019ll ever meet, claims she is owed by Maurice. This is a video she took when dealing with him.<\/p>\n

More on his poker backer debtor status on @PokerNews<\/a>\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/BC2iHLyEU6<\/a><\/p>\n

— Chad Holloway (@ChadAHolloway) April 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the worst thing for poker ever,\u201d Pratt replied in the video thread. \u201cI apologize to the poker community for my part in taking up for him and trying to believe that there is good in everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see him do yourself a huge favor and walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 19th WSOP Circuit Ring, But the Poker World Isn\u2019t Celebrating<\/a> appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The post Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 19th WSOP Circuit Ring, But the Poker World Isn\u2019t Celebrating appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News. Tight race for the ring title Maurice Hawkins is one of the most successful low-to-mid-stakes tournament poker players of all time. And this week, he continued to add to his legacy on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions\/289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animemangaheaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}