John Hesp��s Legend Grows
The legend of John Hesp continues to grow: the gentlemanly British accent, the crazy attire, the fearlessness against some of poker��s best, the amateur turning into a poker buzzsaw. Hesp has become the talk of the series and plenty in the poker world have taken note.
At a time when many are hoping to bring the fun back to poker, Hesp certainly fits the bill. The 64-year-old has earned fans around the world with social media abuzz about his massive run. The love has come pouring in for him on Twitter:
Liv Boree: ��Utterly in love with John Hesp.��
Max Silver: ��Best of luck to John Hesp in the main! Playing some sweet, sweet poker.��
Poker fan Zachary Hagenbush believes Hesp��s run is some kind of karmic magic: ��I'm convinced John Hesp's presence is the universe trying to make up for Will Kassouf last year.��
For his part, Hesp is taking his newfound fame in stride. Text messages have been blowing up his phone from people he doesn��t even know as his everyman, nice-guy story resonates with fans.
��It��s unbelievable, it��s indescribable,�� he says. ��I tried to get some sleep last night and my phone��s going ping-ping-ping as get messages coming from all over the world �C China, Russia, South America. I��m thinking, ��Who are these people wanting to get connected with me from all over the world.�� Something��s happened .. it just looks as though I��ve become an international poker celebrity in the span of 48 hours. How did that happen? I��m just a simple guy that��s come to achieve my wish on my bucket list and I��m here.��
Earlier in the day, Hesp��s stack dipped a bit, but he has bounced back some in the afternoon.
��My directional antenna went askew,�� he says. ��I overplayed jacks quite badly �� and I lost a lot of chips.��
Throughout the tournament, Hesp has often shown his hands when raking a pot. Does he plan to continue the practice?
��I don��t know,�� he said. ��It depends on how I feel. But really I��ve just got to keep calm, stay with it, and hopefully make the final table. That would be a dream come true.��
A friend joined him in Vegas for the trip and to play in the WSOP, but busted on Day 3. On his own, Hesp��s rail has grown since his story was broken by PokerNews �C including the Uber driver he��s used since Day 1. A family man, Hesp��s wife is on standby if that indeed happens.
��She��s ready to push the button on a flight if I make the final nine,�� he said. ��Otherwise, I said don��t bother. If I get busted out today there��s no point.��