RTA causing problems
Nacho Barbero is no longer a sponsored pro of ACR Poker. In a Monday statement, ACR CEO Phil Nagy cited comments Barbero made on a broadcast of the US Poker Open, saying they “have raised serious concerns about his understanding of our security measures and his role as an ambassador.
The issue dates back to January, when Barbero uploaded a photo to his Instagram account that showed him using the real-time assistance (RTA) app GTO Wizard while he had ACR tables open. Though many poker players and fans called on ACR to can him immediately, the poker room said he was just a “goofball.”
Barbero said that he was not playing in the tournament, but rather coaching other players. Of course, people thought this was also quite strange, but after an investigation, ACR Poker determined Barbero did nothing wrong.
The next month, the same controversy erupted with ACR Pro Ebony Kenney. A photo showing her with GTO Wizard and ACR tables open at the same time resurfaced a year after she posted it and like Barbero, she took a ton of flack. She also claimed she was not cheating and ACR cleared her of wrongdoing.
Intrusive thoughts leaked out
The RTA issue was obviously on the mind of Isaac Haxton during PokerGO’s broadcast of the US Poker Open last week. Seated to Barbero’s left, the long-time pro asked him, “I’m surprised ACR didn’t just, like, catch it automatically, to be honest.”
After Barbero responded with a laugh, Haxton followed up: “You can just have GTO Wizard open on your computer while you’re playing and ACR doesn’t even know? Are they even trying?”
To that, Barbero simply said, “I don’t think they’re trying.”
After ACR came to Barbero’s defense earlier this year when the poker community wanted his head, this did not sit well. As such, Barbero is out at ACR.
“To our knowledge, Nacho has not brought any security concerns or questions to us, either in team pro meetings or through direct communication,” Nagy said in Monday’s statement. “As an ambassador, partner, and friend, we expect our team pros to engage with us proactively if they have any concerns about the platform.”
“We never censor our pros or tell them what to say, but we do expect them to speak truthfully and be well-informed about our security efforts so they can represent us—and the facts—accurately,” Nagy added.
Nagy called Barbero’s comments a “fundamental misalignment with our values” and therefore grounds for dismissal.
Image credit: PokerGO.com
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