At the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Awada finished second to Scott Fischman in the $1,500 no limit hold'em event. Awada would have won the gold bracelet in that tournament were it not for a bad beat on the river that kept Fischman alive—Fischman won the tournament on the very next hand. Later in the same WSOP, Awada won a gold bracelet in the $5,000 seven-card stud event, defeating Marcel Lüske. Three months later, he made the final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) third season event won by Doyle Brunson. Awada nearly went back to back, finishing fifth in the seven card stud championship the following year. The final table included John Phan, Chip Jett, Keith Sexton and eventual champion Jan Sørensen.