Barny Boatman
Encyclopedia
Barny M. P. Boatman 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.
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 3 consecutive final tables at the World Series of Poker
(WSOP), and came close to winning a WSOP bracelet.
parents in London, where his babysitter was Dudley Moore
. He left school at his earliest opportunity, following pressure from his ongoing truancy
. 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. Boatman's hobbies
include sky diving, snowboarding
and scuba diving
. He is the godfather
to his brother Ross' son.
Boatman used to play poker at home with friends and later taught his brother Ross
how to play. They began to attend poker tournament
s together at the Vic on Edgware Road, where he won the first tournament he entered, a seven-card stud
event paying around £2000. 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
.
(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).
Boatman narrowly missed out on a WSOP bracelet in the 2002 $2,000 pot limit
hold'em event. His 2nd place 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 3 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.
tournament. He also made the final table of the first ever Showdown Poker Tour event, finishing 2nd to Mats Gavatin.
His major titles include:
In 2005 Boatman appeared on the chatshow Heads Up with Richard Herring
to discuss his life, career and his love of poker. Since then, he has been known to use a small Barney Rubble
statuette (given to him by Harry Demetriou
) as a card protector.
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.
As of 2008 his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,200,000.
In addition, Boatman is a member of the Gutshot Card Club and is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
. He has written over 50 articles for The Hendon Mob's website, and two online poker lessons for Matthew Hilger
's site Internettexasholdem.com.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob are a group of four professional poker players from London, England:* Joe Beevers* Barny Boatman* Ross Boatman* Ram VaswaniThe name of the group was first publicised by the Evening Standard newspaper in September 2000....
. He is the older brother of Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.-Acting:...
, and resides in Archway.
During his lengthy poker career, Boatman became one of the pioneers of poker on television
Poker on television
Poker television programs had been extremely popular, especially in North America and Europe, following the poker boom. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years...
by regularly appearing in the Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series. He was also the first person to reach 3 consecutive final tables at the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP), and came close to winning a WSOP bracelet.
Early years
Boatman grew up to socialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
parents in London, where his babysitter was Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
. He left school at his earliest opportunity, following pressure from his ongoing truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
. He went on to travel for some time early in his life, and has both lived and worked in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Australia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. He has worked as a bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
, builder
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, English teacher, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, computer programmer
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
(for P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
) and as a legal advisor
Legal advice
In the common law, legal advice is the giving of a formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law by an officer of the court , ordinarily in exchange for financial or other tangible compensation...
in Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
, where he never lost a trial. He credits a near-death experience he had in a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident, and the death of his younger sister Jo from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of giving him a sense of perspective in life. Boatman's hobbies
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
include sky diving, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. He is the godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to his brother Ross' son.
Boatman used to play poker at home with friends and later taught his brother Ross
Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.-Acting:...
how to play. They began to attend poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
s together at the Vic on Edgware Road, where he won the first tournament he entered, a seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
event paying around £2000. Together they went to a private poker game run by Joe Beevers
Joe Beevers
Joseph "Joe" Charles Beevers is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob....
and Ram Vaswani
Ram Vaswani
Ram Vaswani is an English professional snooker player, turned professional poker player and the youngest member of The Hendon Mob...
, with whom they became good friends. The four went on to be called The Hendon Mob. Together, they were invited by Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta is a poker player of mixed English/Polish descent, noted as a former editor of Poker Monthly magazine, and creator of the popular Late Night Poker television series -Early Life:Nic's father, who used to play draw poker himself, was a rear gunner who went missing during World War II.He...
to take part in the brand new Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
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
Jesse May
Jesse May is an American poker commentator and player.Jesse May was raised in Madison, New Jersey, where he first became hooked on poker playing with friends. In 1988 he started attending The University of Chicago, but he found that classes were clashing with his poker games, and so dropped out...
.
World Series of Poker
Boatman first cashed in a World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) event in 2000
2000 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...
in the $3,000 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
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
James McManus
James "Jim" McManus is an American poker player, teacher and writer living in Kenilworth, Illinois.-Poker and Positively Fifth Street:...
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
2001 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
(33rd) and 2006
2006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
(854th).
Boatman narrowly missed out on a WSOP bracelet in the 2002 $2,000 pot limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em event. His 2nd place finish earned him $77,160 after outlasting a field including Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.In 2010, he was inducted as a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
, Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
, Phil Gordon
Phil Gordon
Philip Stewart Gordon is an American professional poker player, commentator and author.-Personal life:Gordon was born in El Paso, Texas. He spent his formative years in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Gordon began attending Georgia Tech at the age of 15 while still attending high school...
and John Juanda
John Juanda
Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:...
. This 2nd place finish was one of a record 3 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.
Other Poker activities
Boatman made the final table of the first Poker MillionPoker Million
The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
tournament. He also made the final table of the first ever Showdown Poker Tour event, finishing 2nd to Mats Gavatin.
His major titles include:
- L. 500,000 limitBetting (poker)In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
seven-card stud, 7th Torneo Di Poker, Slovenia, 1998 - FIM 1,000 pot limit Holdem/Omaha, Helsinki Freezeout, 1999
- £500 pot limit seven-card stud, European Poker Championships 2002
- $300 pot limit Omaha, Four Queens Poker Classic 2003
- €1,500 no limit hold'em, Helsinki Freezeout, 2003
- £500 no limit hold'em, Luton Christmas Cracker, 2003
In 2005 Boatman appeared on the chatshow Heads Up with Richard Herring
Heads Up with Richard Herring
Heads Up with Richard Herring or HUWRH, was a British celebrity chat show written by and starring Richard Herring, who is best known as one half of comedy duo Lee and Herring, the stars of BBC Two shows Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy...
to discuss his life, career and his love of poker. Since then, he has been known to use a small Barney Rubble
Barney Rubble
Bernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
statuette (given to him by Harry Demetriou
Harry Demetriou
Charidimos Demetriou is a British poker player.-World Series of Poker:Demetriou first became known in poker circles for his 3rd place finish at the $2,000 no limit Texas hold 'em tournament at the 2002 World Series of Poker won by Layne Flack...
) as a card protector.
In addition to Late Night Poker, he has commentated for Poker Million, World Heads-Up Poker Championship
World Heads-Up Poker Championship
The World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an annual elimination-format poker tournament of one-on-one no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.The event has run since 2001 and...
, Celebrity Poker Club
Celebrity Poker Club
Celebrity Poker Club was a British television series featuring celebrities playing poker. It aired on Challenge from 2003 to 2005 as a spin-off to Channel 4's popular Late Night Poker series...
, European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
, Poker Nations Cup
Poker Nations Cup
The Poker Nations Cup is an international poker tournament, televised on Channel 4 from March 2006 onwards.The series is commentated by Jesse May and Barny Boatman. Padraig Parkinson covered for Boatman in preliminary match 2....
and Victor Chandler Poker Cup
Victor Chandler Poker Cup
The Victor Chandler Poker Cup was a poker tournament held in 2004 and 2005 in England for broadcast on Sky Sports....
. He also starred in his own series "Barny's Home Games" where he attended home poker games throughout Great Britain.
As of 2008 his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,200,000.
In addition, Boatman is a member of the Gutshot Card Club and is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
. He has written over 50 articles for The Hendon Mob's website, and two online poker lessons for Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger is an American professional poker player and author from Atlanta, Georgia. He also operates his own poker-related website.-Early years:...
's site Internettexasholdem.com.