Hemish Shah (7 April 1968 – 5 September 2001) was an English stockbroker before he became a professional poker player, and the winner of Late Night Poker series 4, where he beat the season 2 champion Simon "Aces" Trumper in the final heads-up confrontation.

Neil Shah
ResidenceLondon, United Kingdom
Born7 April 1968 (1968-04-07)
Died5 September 2001 (2001-09-06) (aged 33)
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)1
Money finish(es)2
Highest ITM
Main Event finish
None

During the tapings of Late Night Poker series 5 (won by Padraig Parkinson) players would look up and say "Thanks, Hemish" when they hit a lucky draw. The final for the season was the same day as Hemish's funeral and the players all insisted on attending it. (The production company flew them to London by helicopter.) In all, over 75 poker players attended his funeral.

WSOP edit

He won a World Series of Poker bracelet and $312,340 in 2001 for winning the $5,000 Limit Texas Hold-em event.[1] During the event he had to leave the table as he was suffering from stomach cramps. He went to hospital upon returning to England, but suffered a cardiac arrest at 03:00 GMT on 5 September 2001 and died, aged just 33. He was in good health (he didn't smoke, drink alcohol or eat meat) and his death shocked the poker world.

References edit

  1. ^ "32nd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2001, Texas Hold'em (limit)". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 24 November 2023.

External links edit