Maurice Hawkins Looks to Extend All-Time Record to 14 Rings in Foxwoods Main Event
The World Series of Poker Circuit saw the second day of the $1,700 Main Event at Foxwoods come to an end on Sunday night. Just 88 runners returned for Day 2 but only nine found a bag, moving onto the third and final day of the tournament.
As another final table has been assembled, it is to no one's surprise that all-time circuit ring leader Maurice Hawkins will be present as he looks for his second six-figure cash of the month, just weeks after finishing third in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Global Casino Championship for $119,555. Hawkins will also be in the hunt for yet another ring to add to his already hefty collection and is in more than a prime position to do so as he sits third in chips with 2,085,000.
Leading the way is a Familiar face to the Foxwoods WSOP Circuit scene in Dan Chalifour, who finished fourth in this tournament last year. Chalifour sat relatively quiet during the earlier stages of the day but struck lighting after one hand where he turned a full house. The Spofford, New Hampshire, native went on a complete heater after that hand and did not slow down as he piled chips until the very last hand of the night, finishing with a staggering 2,820,000 in chips.
Chalifour won't be the only player returning from last years final table for a second shot at the title. Justin Carey will also be repeating the final table of this event and is currently sitting fifth on the leader board. Carey will be looking to surpass his eighth-place finish of last year and is certainly in a viable spot to do so with his 1,530,000 stack.
Main Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Rudy | 660,000 | 17 |
| 2 | Maurice Hawkins | 2,085,000 | 52 |
| 3 | David Plotkin | 1,795,000 | 45 |
| 4 | Gregory Nerenberg | 2,145,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Justin Carey | 1,530,000 | 38 |
| 6 | Andrew Ostapchenko | 1,240,000 | 31 |
| 7 | Sean Thomson | 955,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Ralph Macri | 760,000 | 19 |
| 9 | Dan Chalifour | 2,820,000 | 71 |
Day 2 Action
The day began just 17 spots away from the money, but that didn't stop anyone from pushing their chips around as a flurry of eliminations happened in the first hour of play. Just 20 minutes into the second level of the day, the money bubble popped and it was unfortunate for Anthony Leung that he was the one walking out the door after Michael Azzaro spiked an ace to overtake the queens of Leung. Everyone in the tournament was now guaranteed at least a min-cash of $2,481, but all had their eye on the $143,293 first-place prize.
Andrew Ostapchenko retained his lead throughout the first break of the day, but his time atop the leader board ended soon after when David Plotkin caught wind. Plotkin found himself landing two big river cards for heaps, eliminating three opponents in the process of doing so. Those two hands rocketed Plotkin into a seven-figure chip stack and he was the first to do so, surpassing Ostapchenko for the lead. Plotkin dropped down after a monster hand between him and Joseph Rudy, but he fought back and will be starting the final day fourth in chips.
Just a few hands after dinner break it was Andrew Lauer setting the final two tables with the elimination of Mike McGrath after his ace-high fended off a plentifull flop for McGrath who missed his flush and straight draws. The final 18 was then set and the action picked up considerably, dropping multiple people in the next 30-minutes, including Day 1b chip leader Tsz Shing who dropped to the ace-king of Ostapchenko.
One of the most consistent players of the day was Gregory Nerenberg, showing great patience as he waited for optimal spots throughout the tournament. Nerenberg hovered over the average for the better part of the day and it was not until the final 17 that he started to really gain traction en route to his top-two stack. He sent Jeremy Barron out with the dead man's hand, outkicking that of Barron's ace-seven. Nerenberg kept his foot on the gas pedal, applying immense pressure to the short-stacks during the latter part of the night and will be second on the leaderboard to start the final day.
Many notable players made the money but failed to capture a Day 3 birth and that list includes the likes of Giuliano Lentini (10th - $10,493), defending champion Gordon Wilcox (12th - $10,493), Chico Pho (14th - $8,579), Luke Vrabel (15th - $8,579), Leonard Sande (20th - $5,955), Spencer Champlin (24th - $5,104), Matthew Wantman (29th - $3,899), Mitch Garshofsky (30th - $3,899), Vinny Pahuja (42nd - $2,906), and Mukul Pahuja (48th - $2,765).
The final nine will return at noon on Monday, while play will start on level 26 with blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. The levels will remain 60 minutes in length with a 15-minute break after every two levels of play and a 75-minute dinner break at the end of Level 31. The tournament will not stop until a winner is crowned, taking home the $143,293 first-place prize, along with a shiny new WSOP circuit ring and an automatic seat into the GCC.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be bringing all of the coverage for the remainder of this tournament, so stay tuned as the action unfolds!