Poker Player - Joe “The Elegance” Beevers
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Joe Beevers was born on 9th December 1967 in London, and over the years has become one of the most well known poker players (and bookies) in Europe. He is one of the four members of The Hendon Mob, with brothers Ross and Barney Boatman, and the youngest member, Ram Vaswani. He is also the first member of this team to cash in at a World Series of Poker Event, finishing in 14th position in 1996 for Pot Limit Hold’em. He is also, ironically, the only member of The Hendon Mob to actually hail from Hendon!
His history of expert card playing goes way back to 1980’s London, when Joe was taught how to play blackjack by his father. For a few years this father-son team worked the London casinos, until their consistent successes were noted, and the casinos began to ban them from playing. Blackjack was a good foundation for poker tournaments however, as it had taught Joe how to observe other players, and to analyse the fall of the cards.
In the 1990’s Joe turned his attentions to poker. As with everything else, his approach was methodical, studious even, and he learned the game not only through practice, but through analyzing the successes and failures of his opponents, and reading books on poker. As he learned, he applied his knowledge at the table, and in doing so, began his advance to regular appearances at final tables.
Meanwhile, Joe Beevers had achieved his honours degree in Finance and Accounting, which lead to employment with Citibank. Notably, the formality of finance and banking did not sustain his interest, and Joe Beevers moved into playing poker professionally.
In terms of live poker tournaments Joe Beevers can number the following achievements:
- Winner of the 1997 Masters Classics of Poker, Limit Hold’em.
- Winner of the 2000 Texas Hold’em 100.
- Winner of the 2002 British Open £200 Pot Limit Omaha.
- Winner of the 2003 Irish Open €1000 No Limit Hold’em.
- Winner of the 2003 Poker Classics £300 Pot Limit Hold’em.
- Winner of the 2004 Four Queens Poker Classic $5000 No Limit Hold’em.
In 2003, Joe Beevers also played in the televised Poker Millions tournament which was televised live on Sky. He came second, having been beaten by the world famous snooker player Jimmy White. In 2004, he spent the year on tour with The Hendon Mob, fully immersed in the world of professional poker. In 2005, he married his wife Claire at the Bellagio, following the World Series of Poker event, Las Vegas.
So what of that nickname “The Elegance”? Joe Beevers has a taste for the finer things in life, including Cristale champagne, and his beloved Porsche 911, complete with customized private plates reading JOE 911. An article in Esquire profiling him, and his Hendon Mob counterparts mentioned this fact and the nickname was coined. It is not just the material trappings of success however that have created the persona of Joe “The Elegance” Beevers, for his conduct at the table is unfailingly unpretentious and graceful. He has been described as “focussed, disciplined and disturbingly patient at the poker table” but also unassuming and friendly. He continues to study and trap his opponents, but does so with grace and calm. An appropriate moniker indeed!
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