Third Place Finisher in WSOP Circuit Main Event Eliminated w/ Best Hand
Controversy struck after the completion of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Maryland Main Event, and it wasn't because polarizing poker player Maurice Hawkins won to secure his 18th ring.
The record-tying victory was called into question on Tuesday morning as it was revealed that third-place finisher Divyam Satyarthi had the best hand at showdown when he was eliminated.
How it All Went Down
According to reporter Jeff McMillan, Satyarthi was all in against Hawkins with Q?10? against the A?3? of Hawkins. The board ran out K?2?10?4?5? to give Satyarthi a flush, but the pot went to Hawkins as he rivered a no-good Wheel.
Screenshots of a video of the board show that Satyarthi did indeed make a flush. No one caught the mistake until hours later and Hawkins went on to win the event for $140,752.
Reporters on the ground confirmed that they learned about the error hours later and showed video of the hand to the floor. It was not mentioned in the hand history or event recap.
The $1,700 buy-in Main Event at Horseshoe Baltimore drew 468 runners for a prize pool of $709,020.
The incident called to mind a controversy in the 2023 WSOP Paradise Main Event when a dealer chip count error led to Australian pro Daniel Neilson's third-place elimination that cost him $116,000 in equity.
Satyarthi had a deep run at the 2023 WSOP in Las Vegas as he finished fifth in the $1,500 NLH Freezeout for $102,814.
The victory gave Hawkins his 18th Circuit ring to tie Ari Engel as the all-time ring leader. The final table also included runner-up Dan Chalifour, Arthur Rippy, Andrew Chang and Keith Temm.
WSOPC Maryland Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (In USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice Hawkins | United States | $140,752 |
| 2 | Dan Chalifour | United States | $94,305 |
| 3 | Divyam Satyarthi | United States | $64,458 |
| 4 | Arthur Rippy | United States | $44,963 |
| 5 | Andrew Chang | United States | $32,022 |
| 6 | Keith Temm | United States | $23,294 |
| 7 | George Karmires | United States | $17,317 |
| 8 | Jamie Spriggs | United States | $13,161 |
| 9 | Scott Heiser | United States | $10,232 |
*Photo courtesy WSOPC
