Hawkins & Lowery Denied Rings as Matt Higgins Wins WSOPC Tunica Main Event

Another World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) stop is in the books with the completion of WSOPC Tunica, which ran Jan. 18-19 and consisted of more than a dozen ring events that produced more than $2 million in prize pools.

The stop at Horseshoe Tunica in Mississippi culminated with the $1,700 buy-in WSOPC Tunica Main Event, which drew 568 runners and saw Georgia’s Matt Higgins winning his fifth Circuit ring and $167,058.

Higgins, who defeated heads-up opponent and fellow southerner Dale Roesel ($103,248), is no stranger to Circuit success and has $1.7 million in live earnings to sit tenth on the state’s all-time money list. He was joined in his winner’s photo by another Circuit crusher, six-time ring winner Preston McEwen.

Speaking of six rings, North Carolina’s Eric Salazar was denied one as he finished seventh in the Main Event for $23,779, while others at the final table included two-time ring winner Marty Martin (6th – $23,779), Ronald Taylor (4th – $54,898) and BJ McBrayer, who was after a second ring.

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WSOPC Tunica Main Event Final Table Results

The ring victory marks Higgins’ first outside of Harrah’s Cherokee, where he won four rings beginning in March 2018 and most recently in May 2023 when he won a $400 Monster Stack event for $99,121.

All-Time Ring List Stays Intact — For Now

The WSOPC Tunica stop was a good one for multi-ring winners, and two of the players with the most rings came close to winning more.

In Event #9: $300 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo, 15-time ring winner Maurice Hawkins was looking to join Ari Engel as the all-time ring winner as he made the final table. Hawkins ended up falling in eighth place before Tennessee’s Teresa Lammie won the event for her first ring and $9,148.

Hawkins held the title of all-time ring winner for a while before a spurt by Engel last year that saw him winning a stunning five rings and one bracelet. Hawkins himself won a ring last year but will need another to catch up with the mixed-game-inclined Engel.

Another player in the Circuit arms race is Daniel Lowery, who won four rings last year to get up to 14. Lowery came close to matching Hawkins with 15 rings as he finished runner-up to Sam Hick in the final event of the series.

For now, the all-time ring list stays intact. However, it seems only a matter of time before Hawkins, Lowery or Engel win more rings and the list needs another adjustment.

Another highlight of the WSOPC Tunica stop was Tennessee’s John Gallaher winning his sixth ring and $16,422 in Event #16: $400 Double Stack, joining six-time ring winners like Chris Conrad, Mike Holtz, Stephen Song and Ian Steinman.

Other ring winners at WSOPC Tunica include Georgia’s Michael Leonard (Event #8: $400 Monster Stack – $37,295), Venezuela’s Tomas Teran (Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – Big 30K – $20,375) and Ryan Kinder (Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – $52,399).

Next up on the WSOP Circuit is a stop at Harrah’s Pompano Beach in Florida taking place Feb. 1-12 and culminating with a $1,700 buy-in Main Event.

A full list of ring winners at WSOPC Tunica is available in the table below.

WSOPC Tunica Ring Winners

_{*Photos courtesy of WSOP}