Event 14 (Day 1B): Hawkins Considered An "Morning Line Favorite"

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 66

Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL)

If one were to be handicapping this tournament like a horse race (or sporting event), Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL) would have to be considered a morning line favorite.  Hawkins has won the last two events that he has played in, with the first being his ninth WSOPC ring at Palm Beach Kennel Club, and the most recent coming here at the Isle Casino Poker Room (Event 12).  Here is a snapshot of what was published on the blog the day after Hawkins' win here:

For Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL), 2016 was a landmark year in his poker career, becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back WSOP Circuit Main Events (Council Bluffs and Cherokee).  That was just one highlight though, as Maurice added another WSOPC Main Event win later in the year (Palm Beach Kennel Club), getting his hand on an eighth WSOPC ring.  Maurice's incredible run still hasn't slowed down or stalled, even as the calendar year flipped, as he won a record tying ninth WSOPC ring last week ($365 No Limit Hold'em Event 12 - Palm Beach Kennel Club).

Maurice bested a field of (90) entries earlier this week to win the Event 12 title, the four Isle Poker win of his career.  To list all of his tournament accolades and notable scores would look something like a novel, so it will just be mentioned that the Florida-based tournament pro with over $2,390,000 in career earnings is headlining the second wave of notables in the field:

Michael Newman
Frederico Dabus
Aaron Porter
Alan Saltzman
Frank Impliazzo
Charles Alexander