Get To Know the Main Event Finalists (Part II)

There is a massive disconnect from the field and the leaders of this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event final table. The two chip leaders, Scott Blumstein and John Hesp, control nearly half the chips in play and while no one should count out the other seven players at the final table, they will all return below the chip average.

That disparity should create an interesting dynamic throughout the final table but before we look too far ahead, Part II of Poker Central’s WSOP Main Event final table preview dives into those top stacks.

2nd – John Hesp – 64-years-old – England

Despite being one of the least experienced players at the final table, with just $2,207 of live tournament winnings to his name prior to the start of the Main Event, John Hesp is arguably the fan favorite. The Englishman’s colorful attire and personality have turned him into an overnight sensation.

Hesp returns with over 100 big blinds and in pole position to turn a bucket list item, playing the Main Event, into a massive score. Payouts aside though, Hesp has said time and time again that this run is not about the money but more so, as he puts it, “the challenge.”

For a player that usually just plays once or twice a month at his local casino, the Main Event is a big enough challenge in and of itself but with chip leader Scott Blumstein to his immediate left, Hesp will be challenged right from the start of the final table. Over the last few days, the amateur has passed every test he has been given though and is now just eight eliminations away from poker’s biggest prize.

1st – Scott Blumstein – 25-years-old – United States

The man in pole position to start the final table, New Jersey’s Scott Blumstein. The primarily online player holds the chip lead and is just the most recent player from the Garden State to make a run in the WSOP Main Event, following 2015 final tablists Joshua Beckley and Tom Cannuli and last year’s 4^th place finisher Michael Ruane.

Like so many, Blumstein was first drawn to poker by ESPN broadcasts of the Main Event and now, the 2016 WSOP.com New Jersey Player of the Year is now making the run of a life-time in his first WSOP Main Event. Outside of the World Series, Blumstein has amassed over $300,000 in live tournament earnings from events primarily on the East Coast, where Blumstein says, “There is no tougher place to play.”

The Temple University graduate likes poker because it combines math, gambling and thinking. If Scott Blumstein can turn his final table chip lead into his first-career bracelet, the 25-year-old will have to think of what he is going to do with $8 million, something likely only Blumstein thought was a possibility before the Main Event began.

Read Poker Central’s preview of the rest of the final table here and follow the action live on ESPN 2 when play resumes at 6 PM PT. To get caught up on everything that has happened throughout the WSOP Main Event, watch exclusive event replays on PokerGO.