'HENDON
MOB' BOATMAN
BOYS FINISH #1 & 2 IN PLO
It
was the Hendon mob versus the Vegas mob
in the seventh event of the 2003 Four
Queens Poker Classic, $300 pot-limit Omaha.
Five of the nine players at the final
table were from Vegas and three, including
the brothers Barney and Ross Boatman,
are from Hendon, a suburb of London. The
Vegas guys were badly outgunned, and the
Boatman boys ended heads-up, very likely
establishing a first as the only brothers
ever to do so in a major tournament.
At
that point they were virtually dead even
in chips with a bit over $40,000 each.
Eighteen hands later, all the money went
in the middle on the flop. Both men missed
their straight draws and Barney won with
pocket aces. Ross was left with $3,500
and big brother took it on the next hand.
Last
year, the brothers also set a first when
they both made the final table of another
pot-limit event at the World Series. Pot-limit
Omaha is the game of choice in Europe.
"It's the only game where we have
a slight edge over Americans," Barney
said.
The
difference between the brothers? "I
have the looks and he has the talent,"
offered Ross. They both have talent. Ross
is the current British no-limit, Irish
Omaha and Austrian Omaha champion. Barney's
accomplishments include a clutch of final
table finishes at the World Series. The
third Hendon henchman was Joe Beevers,
the current Irish champion and last year's
European Omaha champ. The three, along
with Ram Vaswani, operate a European online
poker portal called thehendonmob.com,
and also play for Prima Poker, an international
online site.
Meanwhile,
Randy Holland took the lead in the all-around
points race. Until now his main claim
to fame was that he is married to Laurene
Holland, winner of an earlier no-limit
event.
The
tournament started with $200-$400 blinds,
allowing the first player in to raise
anywhere from $800 to $1,400. O'Neil Longson
moved in on the fourth hand holding pocket
aces and left when Howard Stevens made
two pair. Seven hands later, poker player
Bobby Law had 8-6-5-4. He bet the pot
when a board of 9-5-2-4 gave him two pair
and a straight draw. CPA James Hoeppner
put him in with a set of deuces and filled
on the river.
Law's
departure was a major disappointment for
this writer. He was hoping that Law could
have gotten in a pot with Stevens, a member
of the Vegas metro police, so he could
label the match as "Law versus Law
and Order."
A
big pot developed after blinds rose to
$300-$600. Beevers moved in for $1,800
with A-K-J-4 and a suited ace. Williamson
called with A-K-10-8 and Hoeppner called
with Q-Q-4-4. Williamson, with PLO wins
at the World Series last year and the
World Poker Open this year, then moved
in for 2k on an 8-7-2 flop. A nine and
six came to give him a straight, and Beevers
was out.
Ross,
meanwhile, starting lowest-chipped with
only 3k, went all in for the third time,
making kings-full against Bob Walker's
deuces-full. A few hands later he continued
his comeback as he relieved Williamson
of his last $7,800. Williamson had K-K-A-3.
Ross had J-9-8-7 and made a straight when
the board came J-5-4-6-5.
The
five finalists were now all in the money.
Ross had zoomed into the lead with $27,700,
followed by Hoeppner, $22,900; Stevens,
$16,400; Walker, $10,800; and Barney $7,800.
After blinds went to $500-$1,000, Howard
the cop got busted for insufficient funds.
He bet when a flop of 8-7-5 gave him two
pair. Barney put him in with a set, then
made a flush. "The Hendon mob is
beating hell out of the Vegas mob,"
observed Walker.
Four
hands later, Walker, under the gun, raised
all in with J-9-10-8. Hoeppner had A-Q-8-7
double-suited and made a nut club flush.
It was now Hoeppner, a pretty good player
himself whose titles include a Legends
of Poker championship, against the Boatman
boys. He lasted four hands. Ross put him
in when the board showed J-9-6-7. Both
missed their straight draws, and Ross
won with a set.
Heads-up,
the brothers played cautiously the first
17 hands. Finally, Barney had Ac-Ah-Qd-10c
and Ross, Kh-Qh-10h-7-h. Three raises
got all the money in. A flop of J-9-6
gave Ross a wraparound, but he missed
and Barney's aces did the trick. Barney
then took his brother's last few chips
on the next hand when he made two pair
with K-J-10-8, and a new chapter was entered
into the poker history books.
Max Shapiro
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