Barny Boatman

  Describing somebody as well traveled is a polite way of saying they move about from place to place, job to job, living hand to mouth and never quite finding their niche. Those who find themselves living in this fashion are either literature majors, hobos, or quiet possibly rodeo clowns. Of course if you are none of these things and still find yourself being called "well traveled" you just might be Barny Boatman.When it is said of a person that they have done everything, it is usually an exaggeration. Saying this about Boatman is still stretching the truth, but it is more accurate in his case than just about anybody else. During his life he has worked as everything from a day laborer, English teacher, and journalist to a legal advisor in the London district of Bermondsey where he never lost a case.  This Englishman may call Great Britain home but he has both lived and worked in Barcelona, Australia, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. On those rare occasions when Barny was home, he would play poker against his brother, Ross Boatman. Eventually playing cards against his gene pool wore thin, and he began to seek out other challenges.  Barny began to enter tournaments at the Vic. This was where his first real victory happened. After winning two thousand pounds in tournament play, there was no turning back. Today Barny is the elder statesman of the four players who have been affectionately dubbed the Hendon Mob. His disarming sense of humor and wily play has led him to a number of significant victories and high profile finishes. Included among these are reaching the Grand Finals twice on the television show Late Night Poker, and finishing in the money at the World Series of Poker.  Nicknamed "The Humour" for his witty demeanor, this player is fun to watch and is so good natured that opponents almost don't mind losing to him.