Ross Boatman

infobox poker player
firstname=Ross
lastname=Boatman
nickname=Rocky Ross


caption=Ross Boatman in the Victor Chandler Poker Cup
hometown=London, UK
wsop bracelet count="None"
wsop money finishes=11
wsop main event best finish rank=34th
wsop main event best finish year=2002
wpt titles="None"
wpt final tables="None"
wpt money finishes=3
ept titles="None"
ept final tables=1
ept money finishes=1

"Rocky" Ross Boatman (born in 1964 in King's Cross, London) is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.

Acting

After completing his training at RADA, Boatman began his acting career in fringe theatre. He began working as a television actor in 1988, appearing in an episode of "The Storyteller" ("The Luck Child") and "Dramarama", before earning his best-known role as firefighter Kevin Medhurst in the long-running television series "London's Burning". Boatman portrayed Medhurst in over 100 episodes between 1988 and 1995, and again in 2000. His other television roles include "A Touch of Frost", two episodes of "The Bill" (in 1999 and 2006), "Murder in Mind", "Dream Team", ITV1 2004 drama Planespotting, and the award-winning West End play "Dealer's Choice" by Patrick Marber.cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090226/|title=Ross Boatman|publisher=Internet Movie Database|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://www.londons-burning.co.uk/poker_rb.htm|title=Blue Watch Star's Red Hot at Poker|publisher=News of the World|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08]

On the big screen, Boatman has appeared in the gangster movie "Hard Men" and as a rock star in the comedy "Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis". He famously turned down a role in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" as he had just completed filming "Hard Men" and feared being typecast. More recently, Boatman has appeared in alongside Clive Owen and Charlotte Rampling in the Mike Hodges film "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090226/|title=Ross Boatman|publisher=Internet Movie Database|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite book | last = Wilson | first = Des | title = Swimming with the Devilfish | publisher = Macmillan | date = 2006 | id = ISBN 1-4050-8952-0 ] cite web|url=http://www.cardplayer.com/magazine/article/14128|title=The Hendon Mob|publisher=Card Player Magazine|author=Devine, Christy|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player_ross-boatman?show=bio|title=Ross Boatman - Poker Player Profile|publisher=www.PokerListings.com|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08] Boatman has maintained he has a preference for acting rather than poker, although he finds poker easier to profit from.cite web|url=http://www.londons-burning.co.uk/poker_rb.htm|title=Blue Watch Star's Red Hot at Poker|publisher=News of the World|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite book | last = Wilson | first = Des | title = Swimming with the Devilfish | publisher = Macmillan | date = 2006 | id = ISBN 1-4050-8952-0 ]

Poker

In the 1970s, Boatman observed his older brother Barny playing poker against his friends at their house. He begged to become involved in the game, and although initially dissuaded by his brother, he sat down and played his first poker session. Barny went on to teach him in the mid-70s, and by the age of 12 Boatman was gambling at "pitch and toss" behind his school gym. In the early 1980s, he regularly observed a poker game in his local pool hall, where he learnt the basics of poker strategy. Soon after he began playing poker events whenever he had the opportunity, and turned professional in 1992.

Together with his brother, Boatman began attending a poker game in North London run by Joe Beevers and Ram Vaswani. The four quickly formed an ongoing friendship, and began travelling to poker events throughout Europe together. This became such a regular sight that the four were later dubbed "The Hendon Mob".cite web|url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player_ross-boatman?show=bio|title=Ross Boatman - Poker Player Profile|publisher=www.PokerListings.com|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/rossBoatman.php|title="Rocky" Ross Boatman|publisher=Full Tilt Poker|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-03] Ross and the rest of The Hendon Mob were invited by Nic Szeremeta to appear in the brand new Late Night Poker television series, and supported the then-questionable idea of using a hole cam to make poker into a spectator sport. He appeared in all 6 series of the show, but had his best run at the title in the second season. He reached the final by defeating Hemish Shah in the runners-up final to advance to the grand final, where he finished 2nd to Simon Trumper.cite book | last = Wilson | first = Des | title = Swimming with the Devilfish | publisher = Macmillan | date = 2006 | id = ISBN 1-4050-8952-0 ] cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=672|title=Late Night Poker season 2 grand final results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]

Like the rest of the Hendon Mob, Boatman has become a regular fixture at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), where he made his first final table in 2002 in the pot limit Omaha event. He finished 7th in the event, where he and Barny became the first brothers to make the same WSOP final table. In the same year he finished in the money of the $10,000 no limit Texas hold 'em main event, eventually going out in 34th place out of 631 entrants. Boatman has also had success in the European Poker Tour (EPT), where he made the final table of its largest ever event - the second grand final, finishing in 6th place for €140,000.cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=4395|title=2002 World Series of Poker $1,500 pot limit Omaha event results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=4426|title=2002 World Series of Poker $10,000 no limit Texas hold 'em main event results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=15906|title=European Poker Tour €10,000 no limit Texas hold 'em season 2 championship results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08] cite web|url=http://www.homepokergames.com/rossboatman.php|title=Ross Boatman|publisher=www.HomePokerGames.com|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-03]

His major titles include:
* FF 3,000 no limit hold 'em, Autumn Tournament 1999;cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=16401|title=FF 3,000 no limit hold 'em Autumn Tournament results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]
* £100 pot limit hold 'em, Christmas Cracker 2001;cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=969|title=2001 £100 pot limit hold 'em Christmas Cracker results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]
* €300 pot limit Omaha, Austrian Masters 2002;cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1096|title=2002 €300 pot limit Omaha Austrian Masters results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]
* £2,000 no limit hold 'em, European Poker Championships 2002;cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1203|title=2002 £2,000 no limit hold 'em European Poker Championships results|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]
* €400 pot limit Omaha, Irish Winter Tournament 2002;cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1220|title=2002 €400 pot limit Omaha Irish Winter Tournament results
publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]
* £200 pot limit Omaha hi-lo, British Open 2004.cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=14275|title=2004 £200 pot limit Omaha hi-lo British Open results
publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]

In addition to the above, Boatman has written over 20 articlescite web|url=http://www.thehendonmob.com/ross_boatman/2005|title=Articles by Ross Boatman|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Boatman, Ross|accessdate=2006-08-03] on The Hendon Mob's website and also authored a poker lesson for [http://www.internettexasholdem.com/ internettexasholdem.com] .cite web|url=http://www.internettexasholdem.com/pokertutor/setInfo.php?siid=31|title=Ross Boatman: NL Cash|publisher=InternetTexasHoldem.com|author=Boatman, Ross|accessdate=2006-08-03] After 3 years of sponsorship by the Prima Poker Network, he is now sponsored by Full Tilt Poker.cite web|url=http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/rossBoatman.php|title="Rocky" Ross Boatman|publisher=Full Tilt Poker|author=Anonymous|accessdate=2006-08-03] As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,100,000.cite web|url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=s&n=4|title=Ross Boatman - Stats|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Butt, Robert|accessdate=2006-08-08]

Boatman resides in Holloway with his partner Stephanie and sons Buster Joe and Rocky Joe. He also has a daughter Alabama Rose. cite book | last = Wilson | first = Des | title = Swimming with the Devilfish | publisher = Macmillan | date = 2006 | id = ISBN 1-4050-8952-0 ] cite web|url=http://www.thehendonmob.com/joe_beevers/the_sincerest_form_of_flattery.html|title=The Sincerest Form of Flattery|publisher=The Hendon Mob|author=Beevers, Joe|authorlink=Joe Beevers|accessdate=2006-08-08]

Notes

External links

* [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=4 Hendon Mob tournament results]