| '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 Barny 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," Barny 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. Barny'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
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. Barny 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-7h. 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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