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Barny Boatman
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Barny Boatman is the smiling frontman of poker Brit pack the Hendon Mob. The Mobsters have been a force on the poker scene for six years, and their star has been very much in the ascendant since cutting a sponsorship deal with an online poker giant recently. The move means Barny and the group (Ram Vaswani, Joe Beevers, and Ross Boatman) are now even more prolific on the poker scene.
"Last month centered around the EPT in Barcelona" says Barny. "It was a fantastic event – a sign of how successful European poker is becoming. Even though they had two starting days, there were more people wanting to play than they could cope with, and no doubt they'll make it bigger next year."
The Mobsters' assiduous planning of their schedule meant they were booked to play well in advance – which turned out to be a good job. "There were long queues to get in. Despite John Duthie (EPT founder) going on all the forums letting people know it was sold out, it seemed a lot of people couldn't quite grasp that if they turned up they wouldn't somehow still be allowed to play, leading to a bit of a panic when it finally sunk in."
Despite the Mob's best effort, it didn't go well. "I went out about 15 minutes before the end of the first day. I just wasn't getting cards. Ross and Ram had gone out earlier – none of us did very well on that occasion," says Barny.
RAIN IN SPAIN
But it wasn't all bad. "For me personally it was quite nice. I used to live in Spain, and still have friends there, so I took the opportunity to visit them a couple of hundred miles south of Barcelona. Unfortunately this coincided with unbelievable storms in that part of Spain.
"I got caught in a flood of biblical proportions, and had to drive 100km in pitch darkness with only the occasional bolt of lightning to illuminate the route. Taking your life into your own hands like that starts to put gambling into perspective!"
Barny survived the tempest and headed back to Britain hoping to storm the tables in more events. "We're playing at the EPT events in London soon, and not long after that we're off to Baden for a third one, followed by Cardiff for a William Hill Grand Prix event. It's an important part of the poker season for us."
One big event in London recently was a huge all-star tournament held at the Fifty casino in St James. It was put on by an online poker giant, who flew over much of poker's "A-list", including Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Gus Hansen, and Mike Matusow. It was one of the most exciting fields ever gathered for a UK tournament, with only 80 or so players, and is going to be televised on Sky.
Naturally, Barny and pals anted up. "Ross and I came close to the final, but weirdly, I got knocked out in 14th place by the same person that knocked me out of the World Series Of Poker main event – Melissa Hayden. I don't know what the chances of that are, but they've got to be pretty remote! I lost a big "even money" shot – had I not lost that I would have quite possibly been having a shot at the final."
POKER PALS
With so many big names in poker these days, and the tournament circuit so vast, new players often wonder whether big pros get time to socialize. Barny has his own take on the dynamic between big name players.
"The poker world's so small that you tend to be on speaking terms with everyone. It's like going to a school for years and bumping into the same kids. Some are really good friends, and some are always waiting behind the bike sheds trying to get your lunch money!"
Despite being a regular feature of tournament results, Barny reckons he doesn't play as much as people think. "I didn't play anything between the World Series and the event at Fifty last month, because I try to enjoy other aspects of life. But on the whole we do love big events and there's such a great choice now.
"I'm playing a couple of WPT events later this year. While I can't fly across to America as much as I'd like, I always play the two Bellagio events. As far as I'm concerned they're the best tournaments around. You get 50,000 chips, and a slow clock."
Barny says deep stack events favor his style of play. "I've discovered over the last three years that those events suit me best. I'm a player who always seems to gather chips in the early stages, so the longer the early stage lasts, the better it is for me. As long as there's a lot of play in the chips, I seem to keep accumulating them."
MIXED SERIES
For Barny this year's WSOP was mixed. "I was out there the whole time, although I did manage to escape in the middle for a beach trip to California. I played a lot of events, and I had the worst run I've ever had in poker.
"It was amazing – there were so many events where I got deep in with a lot of chips, only to have a nasty accident around the bubble. It even happened at a shootout table – I was on one table heads-up with a 10 to 1 chip lead and still managed to lose it! To be honest, it was pretty soul-destroying, because you know that you've been playing consistently well and you're not being rewarded for your hard work. It can get to you, and it certainly got to me."
When the time came for the main event, he was determined to change his luck. "It was probably the first time where it's really mattered to me that I make it into the money. Normally I wouldn't even give that consideration – but it certainly was a big deal with me this time because of my bad run in all the events I'd played in. I felt that I needed something for me to leave my mark on – just to say I was there."
Barny did manage to make the money – his third cash in a WSOP main event. "Making a final in a WSOP tournament feels even more of an achievement these days, because the fields are so big now, it's like playing in two tournaments back to back."
UNMERITED MOANS
Barny has no time for players who grumble about the growing number of internet qualifiers at the WSOP. "I can't understand it. There are people who say to you: "I would rather play good players". But to me they're either kidding themselves, or it's a kind of arrogance. I know what they mean – it's annoying when somebody does something stupid and unpredictable and gets lucky – but it's a numbers game.
"You don't have to win every pot to play, but you're always going to have more of an edge over inexperienced players.
"Good players need to accumulate chips to take the beats when they come. People are quick to tell you that they were knocked out of a tournament when they held the better hand, but what they never seem to tell you is that they only had two chips left."
ADEPT AT ADAPTING
Barny reckons poker is about adapting, and that players should adjust to the influx of players who've learnt the game from TV. "One obvious difference is that people are more aggressive – they play medium hands a lot stronger, partly because they find this a good tactic for getting through big fields on the internet.
"We know this, though, and we just have to adjust and work out how they're playing. Reading people's always been part of the game – long may it continue!"
**FAST FACT**
Barny was the first person to reach three consecutive final tables at the WSOP.
