Joe Beevers
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Charles Beevers (born 9 December 1967 in Marylebone
, London
) is an English professional poker
player and a member of The Hendon Mob
.
During his lengthy poker career, Beevers became one of the pioneers of poker on television
by appearing in every series of Late Night Poker, where he made a record 3 grand finals. Beevers also won the 2007 Poker Million
and finished runner-up in two further televised poker events.
in blackjack
from age 10. His father also taught Beevers how to work out permutation
s and probabilities
on a Sinclair ZX81
computer. Beevers left school at age 16, and became a part of a card-counting team with his father and two others at age 18. They often played at the Sergeant Yorkes Casino in Luton
, where they found a croupier
who often paid out 3-1 on blackjacks, and sometimes also paid out when a player's hand was bust. The team eventually stopped playing as their success led to Beevers being banned from 4 London casino
s, and his father being banned from 19. Between them they were banned from 21 out of 23 London casinos. They also went to gamble on horse racing
events about three times a week.
Beevers worked first for NatWest (as his father had done before him) then for Citibank
in Hammersmith
. He went on to attend Middlesex University
as a mature student towards of the end of his 4 years playing regular blackjack, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Honour's degree in Finance
and Accounting at the age of 24.
Around this time, Beevers placed dog racing bets for future Hendon Mobster Ram Vaswani
in Harrow
, and they later met in Luton, starting an ongoing friendship.
stud
rebuy poker tournament
during a blackjack session in Luton. He went on to regularly play in a seven-card stud
game in North London, where he estimates he won £35,000 to start his bankroll. By the time he finished university, he was earning well enough from playing poker and giving lessons to teachers and other students that he never returned to office work.
Prior to the emergence of televised poker
, Beevers ran private poker games with Ram Vaswani. They played much pot limit Omaha there, which Beevers considers to be his preferred poker variant. It was in this game that they met Barny
and Ross Boatman
, the other two members of the Hendon Mob. Beevers began to travel to tournaments and won his first major event in Amsterdam
in 1997. Upon winning, Beevers called his flatmate at 3am and sang Queen
's "We Are the Champions
" down the phone to him.
Beevers 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. Beevers appeared in all 6 series of the show, and is tied with Dave Colclough
for a record 10 appearances. Beevers made the Grand Final in seasons 1, 4 and 5.
Beevers was the first member of The Hendon Mob to cash in a World Series of Poker
(WSOP) event, placing 14th in the $2,500 pot limit Texas hold 'em
event in the 1996 World Series of Poker
.
Beevers also finished as the runner-up both to Jimmy White
in the 2003 Poker Million and to Xuyen Pham
in The Gaming Club World Poker Championship
. He also finished on the TV bubble of the World Poker Tour
(WPT) season 3
championship and finished in the money of the 2005 WSOP
$10,000 no limit
hold'em main event.
His major titles include:
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,400,000.
He is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
.
Beevers has written over 40 articles on The Hendon Mob's website
, the introduction to the European edition of Michael Kaplan
's book Aces and Kings (ISBN 1-84529-298-7) and two poker lessons for Matthew Hilger
's website internettexasholdem.com.
with the personalised number-plate Joe 911. In fact, Beevers is the only member of The Hendon Mob who kept his original nickname given by Victoria Coren
in the first article on them, in the Evening Standard
in September 2000. He is a season ticket
holder at West Ham United F.C.
.
Beevers lives in Hendon
with his wife Claire, whom he married at the Bellagio
in Las Vegas
, Nevada
at the conclusion of the 2005 WSOP. He has twin daughters, born 21 February 2006 named Millie and Lola.
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is an English professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and a member of The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob are a group of four professional poker players from London, England:* Joe Beevers* Barny Boatman* Ross Boatman* Ram VaswaniThe name of the group was first publicised by the Evening Standard newspaper in September 2000....
.
During his lengthy poker career, Beevers became one of the pioneers of poker on television
Poker on television
Poker television programs had been extremely popular, especially in North America and Europe, following the poker boom. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years...
by appearing in every series of Late Night Poker, where he made a record 3 grand finals. Beevers also won the 2007 Poker Million
Poker Million
The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
and finished runner-up in two further televised poker events.
Early years
Beevers' father taught him how to count cardsCard counting
Card counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer. Card counters, also known as advantage players, attempt to decrease the inherent casino house...
in blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
from age 10. His father also taught Beevers how to work out permutation
Permutation
In mathematics, the notion of permutation is used with several slightly different meanings, all related to the act of permuting objects or values. Informally, a permutation of a set of objects is an arrangement of those objects into a particular order...
s and probabilities
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
on a Sinclair ZX81
Sinclair ZX81
The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
computer. Beevers left school at age 16, and became a part of a card-counting team with his father and two others at age 18. They often played at the Sergeant Yorkes Casino in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, where they found a croupier
Croupier
A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.-Origin of the word:...
who often paid out 3-1 on blackjacks, and sometimes also paid out when a player's hand was bust. The team eventually stopped playing as their success led to Beevers being banned from 4 London casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s, and his father being banned from 19. Between them they were banned from 21 out of 23 London casinos. They also went to gamble on horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
events about three times a week.
Beevers worked first for NatWest (as his father had done before him) then for Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
. He went on to attend Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
as a mature student towards of the end of his 4 years playing regular blackjack, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Honour's degree in Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and Accounting at the age of 24.
Around this time, Beevers placed dog racing bets for future Hendon Mobster Ram Vaswani
Ram Vaswani
Ram Vaswani is an English professional snooker player, turned professional poker player and the youngest member of The Hendon Mob...
in Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
, and they later met in Luton, starting an ongoing friendship.
Poker career
Beevers began playing poker by entering a £10 pot limitBetting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
stud
Stud poker
Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each round may change from round to round...
rebuy poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
during a blackjack session in Luton. He went on to regularly play in a seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
game in North London, where he estimates he won £35,000 to start his bankroll. By the time he finished university, he was earning well enough from playing poker and giving lessons to teachers and other students that he never returned to office work.
Prior to the emergence of televised poker
Poker on television
Poker television programs had been extremely popular, especially in North America and Europe, following the poker boom. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years...
, Beevers ran private poker games with Ram Vaswani. They played much pot limit Omaha there, which Beevers considers to be his preferred poker variant. It was in this game that they met Barny
Barny Boatman
Barny M. P. Boatman , is an English professional poker player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob...
and Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.-Acting:...
, the other two members of the Hendon Mob. Beevers began to travel to tournaments and won his first major event in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1997. Upon winning, Beevers called his flatmate at 3am and sang Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "We Are the Champions
We Are the Champions
"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...
" down the phone to him.
Beevers and the rest of The Hendon Mob were invited by Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta is a poker player of mixed English/Polish descent, noted as a former editor of Poker Monthly magazine, and creator of the popular Late Night Poker television series -Early Life:Nic's father, who used to play draw poker himself, was a rear gunner who went missing during World War II.He...
to appear in the brand new Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series, and supported the then-questionable idea of using a hole cam
Hole cam
In poker, a hole cam is a camera that displays a player's face-down cards to television viewers.The hole cam became popular in 1999 when the Late Night Poker program first began using it in televised tournaments shown on British Channel 4...
to make poker into a spectator sport. Beevers appeared in all 6 series of the show, and is tied with Dave Colclough
Dave Colclough
David E. Colclough is a Welsh professional poker player, now living in Thailand.-Before poker:Prior to becoming a poker professional, Colclough worked as a computer programmer. Amongst the companies he worked for were the Post Office and the National Health Service...
for a record 10 appearances. Beevers made the Grand Final in seasons 1, 4 and 5.
Beevers was the first member of The Hendon Mob to cash in a World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) event, placing 14th in the $2,500 pot limit Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
event in the 1996 World Series of Poker
1996 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
.
Beevers also finished as the runner-up both to Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
in the 2003 Poker Million and to Xuyen Pham
Xuyen Pham
Xuyen "Bad Girl" Pham is an English professional poker player.Pham was introduced to poker by playing Texas hold 'em in her local casino in Luton....
in The Gaming Club World Poker Championship
The Gaming Club World Poker Championship
The Gaming Club World Poker Championship was held at the Merrion Casino Club in Dublin, Ireland during 2004.The international field included 6 World Champions together with numerous other professionals and celebrities.The tournament was competed in...
. He also finished on the TV bubble of the World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) season 3
World Poker Tour season 3 results
- Grand Prix de Paris:* Casino: Aviation Club de France, Paris * Buy-in: €10,000* 5-Day Event: July 17, 2004 to July 21, 2004* Number of Entries: 205* Total Prize Pool: €1,957,750* Number of Payouts: 27...
championship and finished in the money of the 2005 WSOP
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
$10,000 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em main event.
His major titles include:
- £2500 No Limit Hold'em, Great British Poker Tour - Grand Final 2007
- Hold'em 100, 2000
- £200 pot limit Omaha, British Open 2002
- €1,000 no limitBetting (poker)In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em, Irish Open 2003 - £300 pot limit hold'em, Poker Classics 2003
- $5,000 no limit hold'em, Four Queens Poker Classic 2004
- Poker Nations CupPoker Nations CupThe Poker Nations Cup is an international poker tournament, televised on Channel 4 from March 2006 onwards.The series is commentated by Jesse May and Barny Boatman. Padraig Parkinson covered for Boatman in preliminary match 2....
2006 and 2008 - 2007 Poker MillionPoker MillionThe Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,400,000.
He is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
.
Beevers has written over 40 articles on The Hendon Mob's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, the introduction to the European edition of Michael Kaplan
Michael Kaplan
Michael Kaplan may refer to:* Michael Kaplan , * Michael Kaplan , American movie costume designer* Michael Kaplan, American blogger and Unicode guru...
's book Aces and Kings (ISBN 1-84529-298-7) and two poker lessons for Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger is an American professional poker player and author from Atlanta, Georgia. He also operates his own poker-related website.-Early years:...
's website internettexasholdem.com.
Personal life
Beevers' nickname "The Elegance" originates from the lifestyle he has been able to live through his poker winnings. He drives a Porsche 911Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
with the personalised number-plate Joe 911. In fact, Beevers is the only member of The Hendon Mob who kept his original nickname given by Victoria Coren
Victoria Coren
Victoria Elizabeth Coren is a British writer, presenter and champion poker player. Coren writes weekly columns for The Observer and The Guardian newspapers and hosts the BBC Four television quiz show Only Connect....
in the first article on them, in the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
in September 2000. He is a season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
holder at West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
Beevers lives in Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
with his wife Claire, whom he married at the Bellagio
Bellagio (hotel and casino)
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
at the conclusion of the 2005 WSOP. He has twin daughters, born 21 February 2006 named Millie and Lola.