Maurice Hawkins Ties Ari Engel With 18th World Series Of Poker Circuit Win

Maurice Hawkins already held the record as the World Series of Poker Circuit’s all-time money leader. Now, thanks to a win in the 2025 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Baltimore $1,700 main event, the longtime mid-stakes grinder is also tied for the most victories in the history of the tour with 18 gold rings won. Six of those 18 titles have come in WSOPC main events.

This latest title saw Hawkins match the record set by Ari Engel during an online WSOPC series back in September of 2024. The pair now both sit two wins ahead of Daniel Lowery, who has 16 rings.

“I feel like I am in a class of my own. No disrespect to Ari, I love the guy, but I am where I’m supposed to be,” he told WSOP reporters after coming away with the win.

Engel himself congratulated Hawkins on the victory via social media.

Congrats @mauricehawkins on winning #18 . Another main title. It’s really cool being in the ring chase with you- even tho I win mine in 60 person mixed and small field online stuff and you take down huge main events. Hard to argue that you’re not the circuit goat- Congrats sir!

— Ari Engel (@AriEngelPoker) March 4, 2025

Hawkins first took down a WSOPC event in late 2008. He has captured multiple rings in a single calendar year five separate times (2009, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2025).

The 45-year-old poker pro now has $3,122,999 in career WSOPC earnings, making him the first player to surpass the $3 million mark for the tour. In fact, no other player has yet topped $2 million, with Lowery again being the closest contender with $1,866,964.

This latest triumph for Hawkins saw him best a field of 468 entries to earn $140,752. The final heads-up battle for the title lasted several hours, with both Hawkins and eventual runner-up Daniel Chalifour holding healthy leads at various points in the match.

The strong turnout for this event resulted in a prize pool of $659,464 which left the $500,000 guarantee in the dust. The top 57 finishers earned a share of the prize money, with five-figure payouts for the top nine.

Just six players advanced to the final day at Horseshoe Baltimore with Hawkins out in front. A cooler sent Keith Temm packing in sixth place ($23,294), with his pocket jacks running into the pocket kings of Divyam Satyarthi. Andrew Chang soon followed thanks to the trip queens of Chalifour. Chang earned $32,022 as the fifth-place finisher.

Arthur Rippy’s 86 was unable to come from behind against the A10 of a surging Chalifour, with the latter making two pair to earn his second straight knockout. Rippy was awarded $44,963 for his fourth-place showing.

Satyarthi’s run concluded when his Q-10 ran into the A-3 of Hawkins in a preflop battle of the blinds. Satyarthi flopped a ten to take the lead, but Hawkins rivered a straight to give him a slight lead going into heads-up play. Satyarthi settled for $64,458.

As previously mentioned, heads-up play lasted for quite a while. After several lead changes, Chalifour had seized the top spot ahead of the next key all-in confrontation. All the chips went in with Hawkins holding a flush draw and gutshot against aces and deuces for Chalifour. The river completed Hawkin’s straight to see him surge back in front.

The final hand saw Hawkins turn a flush against Chalifour’s flopped straight. Understandably, all of the chips went in only for Chalifour to learn that he was drawing dead. The river was a mere formality, and Chalifour was eliminated in second place ($94,305). This was the largest recorded score yet for the New Hampshire resident, who is approaching $1.1 million in earnings.

Final Table Results

Photo provided by WSOP.