The WSOP circuit ring chase took a shot of adrenaline over the past week as each one of the major players added another ring to their haul in the battle atop the leaderboard.
Engel Moves Into First
Maurice Hawkins lit the fuse by winning the WSOPC Baltimore Main Event to put him at 18 rings, which tied Ari Engel at the very top of the leaderboard. This win came just a month after he won his 17th ring in Pompano Beach.
Hawkins’ win was marred with controversy surrounding the incorrect elimination of 3rd place finisher Divyam Satyarthi. So much so that the circuit ring leaderboard chase was lost in the shuffle.
But the race was put back into focus when Engel surged ahead with his 19th career ring, breaking the tie with Hawkins that only lasted a few days.
Number 19 for Engel came in WSOP.com Pennsylvania 2025 March Online Super Circuit. He won the NLH Big $500 event for $10,141, topping 86 entries.
Whether or not single state online events with less than 100 entries should count the same as large in person circuit events is another debate for another time. As per official WSOP Circuit ring rules, Engel is now the overall leader with 19 thanks to his online prowess.
Hawkins was reportedly unhappy to hear the development while he was competing in WSOPC Hammond over the last week.
Challengers Add Another
Hawkins and Engel were not the only ones who won a ring over the past week as the other top challengers also wanted to get a piece of all the winning.
Daniel Lowery, who is in 3rd place all time, won his 17th ring in WSOPC Tulsa by defeating the 448 player $250 Senior Event field for his first ring since November of 2024. This win from the Arkansas native brings him back within touching distance of the top two as he is never one to forget in this race with his ability to navigate large field events.
The ring chase was fully in stride even before Lowery won his. The current 4th place player on the leaderboard, Josh Reichard, won his 16th ring after taking down a H.O.R.S.E event, showing that he is a player who knows how to play H.O.R.S.E with the best of them.
This ring was his first one since 2023, as he has taken a bit of a step back from the circuit in recent years which has allowed the other three to surge past him on the leaderboard. But this win shows that he is not done yet.
With the pace at which these players are winning rings, there is little doubt that the #20 ring milestone is close on the horizon.