Poker pro Maurice Hawkins files for bankruptcy amid $115K debt dispute
Prominent poker player Maurice Hawkins had filed for bankruptcy in what some called an attempt to absolve himself from an outstanding poker-related debt.
Maurice Hawkins Filed for Liquidation Bankruptcy
Last week, Maurice Hawkins submitted a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. The poker pro, who has some $7 million in lifetime tournament winnings and is a 24-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner, submitted his filing via his attorney, Michael Kaufman.
In the filing, Hawkins said that his assets, which include his rented residence in Florida, are worth between $500,000 and $1 million. He estimated his liabilities at between $100,000 and $500,000.
The filing comes several months after Hawkins, who owed a six-figure sum to Randy Garcia, agreed to repay the latter man $2,500 every month until he returned $30,000. Hawkins originally owed Garcia $115,828, making this seem like a good bargain. However, the former man reportedly stopped paying the agreed-upon money after a few months.
This prompted Garcia to pursue legal remedies.
Garcia and His Allies Rejected the Bankruptcy Claims
The bankruptcy filing could allow Hawkins to bypass garnishment in the future. This comes after garnishment prevented Hawkins from collecting his winnings after a recent tournament.
Attorney Roger Chhabra, who filed the garnishment in question, spoke with PokerNews on the matter, saying that the bankruptcy filing could erase his poker debt, since liquidation bankruptcy erases unsecured debts, such as poker-related ones. However, Chabra noted that he and Garcia plan to push back by proving that Hawkins is not really bankrupt and is only exploiting the system.
For context, Hawkins has been very open about his recent wins. He recently won a $17,419 after finishing first at the WSOP Circuit Elgin Event #3 and challenged Shaun Deeb to a $100K wager.
Statistics furthermore show that Hawkins won six-figure sums from poker tournaments in both 2024 and 2025. He also bragged about his spectacular track record on social media, saying that he is not done winning tournaments.
