“The Elegance” talks to Poker Shark Pool
Joe “the elegance” Beevers is one of the most successful poker players in Europe and certainly one of the most famous faces in the poker world right now. He is a member of the World famous Hendon Mob which consists of himself Ram Vaswani and the Boatman brothers Ross and Barney.
They enter and play in some of the biggest poker tournaments and the “mob” have numerous poker titles to their name. Joe is regarded as one of the best Pot Limit Omaha players in the world so we decided to find out a bit more about him and what makes him tick.
Not many people in poker realise Joe that you started out in gambling as a professional blackjack player, what prompted you to go into that?
My late father taught me a basic point count when I was in my teens. I used to play in a team with him.
I know from first hand experience just how demanding blackjack can be, how long were you and your father playing professional blackjack for?
We played for a few years averaging maybe 5 hours twice a week.
Can you tell us just how the Hendon mob got their name and when you formed?
We were never actually ‘formed’ like you would form a pop group. We used to all play in a regular Monday night game in my flat in Hendon and we would travel around Europe playing tournaments. The other players would often shout across the card room ‘It’s the Hendon Mob’ and the name stuck.
Many people would assume that you play out of a combined team bankroll to rapidly smooth out any adverse bad run but that is not necessarily the case is it?
Absolutely not – you’ve met Ram haven’t you? The only thing that we do is that we always have 5% of each other in tournaments. It’s nice to have a drink if one of the others gets a result and it’s a small enough amount not to really make any difference.
How do the Mobsters get on with each other, have there ever been fall outs?
We are like four brothers so yes we get on very well, yes we’ve had fall outs but it’s just like family.
You have played an awful lot of poker in the United States, who do you think are the stronger players on average, Americans or Europeans?
That really depends. The Americans play limit better than we do and there are a lot more of them but there are a number of great European players and the Europeans are always putting up a good show in the states these days.
How did the World Series go for you this year?
It was ok, we paid the rent but the country mansion will have to wait. I only actually played 6 events plus the main event and I cashed 3 times getting close but not actually making a final table.
With the boom in poker and especially online poker, do you play much online?
Sure I do. We have a great sponsorship deal with Full Tilt and you can find all four of us playing on there on an almost daily basis. We also have the Hendon Mob Forum League with tournaments every Tuesday night that are very popular and we try and play in those as well. Full details are on www.thehendonmob.com
Most players either prefer tournaments to cash games or vice versa, what is your personal preference?
I used to play 95% cash and 5% tournaments but those two figures have almost reversed themselves now. When I play live it’s almost exclusively tournaments. I like to play short handed Omaha cash games online.
How do you manage to fit poker around your family life Joe?
I am married to Claire and I have twin daughters who were born in February 2006. They are priority for me obviously. I’m very lucky as I have the freedom to manage my own hours and when I play. Everything seems to fit in very nicely although occasionally I don’t get to sleep as much as I used to.
A few years ago, the Hendon Mob website was launched, how is that going for you?
Thehendonmob.com was originally set up as a contact point for sponsorship and in the last five years it has become the number one poker portal in Europe with as many as 30,000 unique visitors a day. It has the world’s most comprehensive poker database profiling over 50,000 players and historical results going back 30 years as well as venue and festival details. There is an interactive beginner’s guide, great articles and one of the best poker forums around. It takes some managing but we have a very good team working in offices in Hendon keeping everything running smoothly.
Are there any characters in the poker world who you don’t like?
Most people in poker all get on great. I don’t particularly like players who are rude at the table and abuse of any kind shouldn’t be tolerated. I also don’t like this new habit that some players have of screaming and shouting when they win a big pot or eliminate an opponent.
Do you ever perceive of a life outside of poker once again?
Is there anything outside of poker? Seriously though I might take up golf…
What are your goals and ambitions for the future?
My priorities and outlook on life have certainly changed since I married Claire and had Millie and Lola. I’m very happy exactly where I am right now.
What is your favourite form of poker and why?
Playing cash I like to play PLO. I think that a lot of players think they understand the game and they don’t really. Playing tournaments, NLH although I don’t mind PLH or Omaha either.
There is big money to be earned in online poker, especially in the bigger NL cash games, do you ever play in them?
Not in the very big games like Ram does no. I will play any game from 1-2 blinds up to maybe 50/100 PLO. When I’m playing on Full Tilt I usually play in the $5/$10 PLO shorthanded games and often observers will ask why I’m playing so ‘small’, or ‘small for a ‘pro’. It makes me laugh – playing 2 or 3 tables you can quite easily win (or lose) a five figure sum in a session.
Where do you see poker going in the next ten years?
I believe that there is still some growth, maybe for another 3-5 years. Then I see it leveling off and consolidating.
Would you ever object to your kids going into poker?
If that’s what they really wanted then I wouldn’t stop them although I would encourage them to do something else.
What do you like to do in your spare time (hobbies, interests)
I love to watch live sport, spend time with friends going to restaurants and spending time with my family.
You went to university to study finance, do you see any similarities between working in the city and playing poker?
I guess so but the big difference is that poker is much more ‘self’. You are usually the only person at the poker table that wants you to win. Also most city boys are gambling with other people’s money, aren’t they?
