Barny M. Boatman (born 1956 in St Pancras, London[3]) is an English professional poker player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob. He is the older brother of Ross Boatman, and resides in Archway.[4]
| Barny Boatman | |
|---|---|
 Boatman in 2005 | |
| Nickname(s) | Barmy Barny |
| Residence | Archway, London, England |
| Born | Barny M. P. Boatman 1956 (age 67–68) St Pancras, London, England |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 2 |
| Final table(s) | 16[citation needed] |
| Money finish(es) | 80[1] |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 16th, 2000 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 6[2] |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 7 |
During his lengthy poker career, Boatman became one of the pioneers of poker on television by regularly appearing in the Late Night Poker television series. He was also the first person to reach three consecutive final tables at the World Series of Poker (WSOP),[5] and came close to winning a WSOP bracelet.[6] In 2013, Boatman won his first career World Series of Poker bracelet in Event #49, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, winning $546,080. In February 2024, Boatman won the European Poker Tour Paris main event for €1,287,800, his largest live cash to date.[7] As of February 2024, he has over $5.4 million in live tournament winnings.[8]
Early years
editBoatman grew up to socialist parents in Somerstown, London.[9] He left school at his earliest opportunity, following pressure from his ongoing truancy.[10] He went on to travel for some time early in his life, and has both lived and worked in Barcelona, Australia, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. He has worked as a bartender, builder, English teacher, journalist, computer programmer (for P&O), and as a legal advisor in Bermondsey, where he never lost a trial. He credits a near-death experience he had in a motorcycle accident, and the death of his younger sister Jo from cancer of giving him a sense of perspective in life.[11][12][13][14] Boatman's hobbies include sky diving, snowboarding, and scuba diving.[15] He is the godfather to his brother Ross' son.[16]
Boatman used to play poker at home with friends and later taught his brother, Ross, how to play. They began to attend poker tournaments together at the Vic on Edgware Road, where he won the first tournament he entered, a seven-card stud event paying around £2,000. Together they went to a private poker game run by Joe Beevers and Ram Vaswani, with whom they became good friends. The four went on to be called The Hendon Mob. Together, they were invited by Nic Szeremeta to take part in the brand new Late Night Poker television series, where he reached the Grand Finals in series 3 and 4. During series 5 and 6, he commentated for the show, alongside Jesse May.[11][17][18]
Poker career
editWorld Series of Poker
editBoatman first cashed in a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 2000 in the $3,000 no limit hold'em event. 4 days later he finished in the money in the $10,000 no limit hold'em main event, finishing in 16th place. (According to the James McManus book Positively Fifth Street, he was the chip leader for much of the tournament.) He also finished in the money of the main event in 2001 (33rd) and 2006 (854th).[19][20][21][22][23]
Boatman narrowly missed out on a WSOP bracelet in the 2002 $2,000 pot limit hold'em event. His runner-up finish earned him $77,160 after outlasting a field including Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan, Phil Gordon, and John Juanda. This 2nd-place finish was one of a record three back-to-back final tables, which earned him a win in the European Poker Awards Tournament Performance of the Year category. He also finished one place off a fourth consecutive final table.[6]
At the 2013 WSOP, Boatman bested a field of 2,247 entries to win Event #49, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. He defeated Brian O'Donoghue in a three-hour, back-and-forth heads-up match to win his first bracelet and $546,080.
Boatman also won another bracelet in 2015, at the World Series Of Poker Europe, in Berlin, Germany. He won Event #7, €550 Pot Limit Omaha for €54,725.
Other poker activities
editBoatman made the final table of the first Poker Million tournament. He also made the final table of the first ever Showdown Poker Tour event, finishing runner-up to Mats Gavatin.[24][25][26]
His major titles include:
- L. 500,000 limit seven-card stud, 7th Torneo Di Poker, Slovenia, 1998[27]
- FIM 1,000 pot limit Holdem/Omaha, Helsinki Freezeout, 1999[28]
- £500 pot limit seven-card stud, European Poker Championships 2002[29]
- $300 pot limit Omaha, Four Queens Poker Classic 2003[30]
- €1,500 no limit hold'em, Helsinki Freezeout, 2003[31]
- £500 no limit hold'em, Luton Christmas Cracker, 2003[32]
- €5,300 no limit hold'em, EPT Paris, 2024
In 2005, Boatman appeared on the chatshow Heads Up with Richard Herring to discuss his life, career, and his love of poker. In addition to Late Night Poker, he has commentated for Poker Million, World Heads-Up Poker Championship, Celebrity Poker Club, European Poker Tour, Poker Nations Cup, and Victor Chandler Poker Cup. He also starred in his own series "Barny's Home Games" where he attended home poker games throughout Great Britain.[14]
As of 2024, his total live tournament winnings exceed $5,475,000.[33]
In addition, Boatman is a member of the Gutshot Card Club[34] and was sponsored by Full Tilt Poker.[14][35] He has written over 50 articles for The Hendon Mob's website, and two online poker lessons for Matthew Hilger's site Internettexasholdem.com.[36][37][38]
References
edit- ^ "Barny Boatman". WSOP.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Barny Boatman". World Poker Tour. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Barny Boatman". PokerListings.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ Beevers, Joe (13 December 2003). "The Sincerest Form of Flattery". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 13 August 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ "Interview with Barney Boatman". Poker Shark Pool. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016.
- ^ a b "33rd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2002, Pot Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Grant, Calum (25 February 2024). "A Great Day for Poker: Legend of the Felt Barny Boatman Completes Long Road to EPT Main Event Title". PokerNews.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Barny Boatman's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Boatman, Barny. "Barny Boatman". www.BlondePoker.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ The Hendon Mob (2005). The Hendon Mob (documentary). London: The Hendon Mob.
- ^ a b Wilson, Des (2006). Swimming with the Devilfish. Macmillan. ISBN 1-4050-8952-0. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "About the Mob". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 13 August 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ May, Jesse. "Running the Mob!". The Poker Channel. Archived from the original on 13 February 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ a b c Boatman, Barny. "Barny Boatman". Full Tilt Poker. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ "Boatman, Barny". Poker.OddsChecker.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Devine, Christy (16 July 2004). "The Hendon Mob". Card Player Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 September 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ "Late Night Poker Series 3, No Limit Hold'em - Grand Final". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Late Night Poker Series 4, No Limit Hold'em - Grand Final". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "31st World Series of Poker - WSOP 2000, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "31st World Series of Poker - WSOP 2000, World Championship No Limit Texas Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ McManus, James (16 April 2003). Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker. ISBN 0-374-23648-8.
- ^ "32nd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2001, Championship Event - No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 8 July 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "37th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2006, No Limit Texas Hold'em - World Championship Event". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Poker Million 2000, No Limit Holdem". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Bromham, Tony (9 May 2006). "Barny Boatman Loses Out to Mats Gavatin in Showdown Tour". uk.PokerNews.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ "Gutshot.com European Series of Poker, Showdown Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "7th Torneo Di Poker 1998, Limit 7 Card Stud". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "1999 FIM 1,000 pot limit Holdem/Omaha, Helsinki Freezeout results". Hendon Mob Poker Database. Archived from the original on 11 December 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ "European Poker Championships 2002, Pot Limit 7 Card Stud". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "2003 Four Queens Poker Classic, Pot Limit Omaha". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Helsinki Freezeout 2003, No Limit Holdem". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Christmas Cracker 2003, No Limit Holdem". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Barny Boatman's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Barny Boatman". Gutshot Card Club. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Bromham, Tony. "Interview with Barny Boatman - Part 1". uk.PokerNews.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Boatman, Barny. "Articles by Barny Boatman". The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Boatman, Barny. "Barny Boatman 1: SnG". www.InternetTexasHoldem.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Boatman, Barny. "Barny - William Hill Grand Prix". www.InternetTexasHoldem.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2006.