Professional poker player Maurice Hawkins has denied provoking a Thanksgiving poker altercation that was seen across social media.
The video appears to show a man confronting a seated Hawkins and then violently swinging his fists at the pro card player.
Maurice Hawkins denies being involved in poker altercation
According to reports from PokerNews, Hawkins was playing in a private game in Palm Beach County, Florida, when the incident reportedly occurred.
Maurice Hawkins Gets Assaulted in Poker Home Game!?
This is the Rundown with @ChadAHolloway pic.twitter.com/aFOWC3hO0Z
— PokerNews (@PokerNews) November 28, 2025
According to an unidentified individual who provided the video, they claimed the confrontation stemmed from Hawkins “running his mouth about how good a boxer he was.” However, this has not been independently verified.
Hawkins has won over 20 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit rings and, most recently, set a record for the most rings won at an event at Caesars New Orleans.
He was battling with Ari Engel for the WSOP Circuit ring record and won his 20th and 21st rings, winning the $600 Pot-Limit Omaha and $400 No-Limit Hold’em tournaments at the Caesars New Orleans WSOP Circuit series.
His win was made all the more significant after besting 18-time ring holder Daniel Lowery, in what the WSOP called “the poker skills that have made him the most decorated player in WSOP Circuit history.”
Hawkins posted a video aimed at PokerNews and a number of other individuals that he said have misinformed people about the narrative. He stated that he felt the reporting misrepresented the situation.
Chad Holloway and poker news. Yall really setting yourself up for a defamation suit. First I am going to win enough money make you pay in court . pic.twitter.com/SReREGGZ78
— EatingOnAllStages (@mauricehawkins) November 28, 2025
“So let me get this right, Chad Holloway puts out a f***ing video that says I got in a fist fight, when the dude attacked me from the blind side,” said the poker pro.
The celebrated card legend then said, “Then he (Holloway) said that I was running my mouth. Are you trying to say Chad Holloway and Poker News aren’t targeting me? Trying to defame my name?” These are his allegations and not verified.
It seems there is a defined backstory to the battle between Hawkins and PokerNews, as the site previously reported that a former backer, Randy Garcia, claimed that in 2019, a previous backer of Hawkins contacted the news outlet, alleging he was owed a six-figure sum.
Garcia reportedly said, “He said he couldn’t pay me and that on the next big score, he would get me. Since our deal ended, he has cashed for almost $1 million and still tells me to ‘be patient.’ He has had a number of six-figure scores and refuses to even pay me $1.”
A Florida court ended up awarding Garcia $103,000, plus interest and fees, bringing the total to about $115,800. Hawkins told PokerNews at the time that he and Garcia were trying to “[handle] it amicably” and that he was actively paying the debt down.
The situation popped back up again in 2022, when new allegations were made. Hawkins responded by saying, “I’ll pay him when I can,” and insisted he had already paid off most of what he owed.
Featured image: World Poker Tour via Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0
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