"God doesn't like Maurice Hawkins." Mike Holtz — after winning a turbo at the WSOP

«God doesn't like Maurice Hawkins». Mike Holtz — after winning a turbo at the WSOP

American regular Mike Holtz called his championship in the $1500 Super Turbo Bounty NLH a victory of good over evil in the form of Maurice Hawkins. The owner of now two WSOP bracelets didn't mince words when asked about his emotions over the title against the backdrop of Hawkins' loss in the heads-up of the $600 Mixed Event.

«Karma is real, God exists. And I think God doesn't really like Maurice Hawkins. But you know who he likes? Mike Holtz. And Mike Holtz has a bracelet. Guess how many bracelets Maurice Hawkins has? Zero. I'm absolutely thrilled. Today good triumphed over evil, and all is right with the world.»

It's worth noting that this isn't Holtz's first jab at Hawkins. As host of the PokerNews podcast, Mike has repeatedly criticized the WSOP Circuit ring record-holder over his $115,000 debt to backer Randy Garcia. Garcia won a lawsuit against Hawkins back in 2017, but over the following four years the poker player paid him just over $10,000.

In April 2026, Hawkins filed for bankruptcy shortly after capturing his 24th WSOPC ring. On the podcast, Holtz and his co-host Chad Holloway suggested that the poker player was doing this to avoid paying Garcia. Hawkins soon appeared as a guest on the podcast, but the conversation turned tense, and Holtz accused him of trying to weasel out of the debt situation.

In addition, Mike Holtz responded to critics who downplay the significance of online bracelets. He won his first title in 2022 in the online event $777 No-Limit Hold'em Lucky 7's.
«To everyone saying online bracelets are nonsense: the online title I won was many times harder to claim than this one. They don't even compare. They just don't.
Everyone who criticizes online bracelets has no clue. It's far harder. Come grind on the streets with me, and let's see who beats who.»

As for the Super Turbo Bounty itself, the tournament drew 2,103 entries. Over the course of the event Holtz collected around 15 bounties, and in the heads-up he beat Mei Seow in three hands. The Malaysian poker player reached the money in a live tournament for only the fourth time, earning $158,641. Her total prior winnings amounted to just $5,410. Holtz took the top prize of $238,097.