Did Nacho Barbero Use A RTA Tool?

ACR-sponsored pro Nacho Barbero found himself under fire after an Instagram Story showed GTO Wizard open between his poker tables which is a violation of any online poker site’s Terms of Service.

Here’s What Nacho Had To Say: Barbero denied using GTO Wizard for his own gameplay. Instead, he claimed he was running hands for his backed players, who didn’t have access to a solver. To prove his point, he offered to have all his played hands reviewed by GTO Wizard’s team.

ACR’s Response: Initially, ACR brushed off the controversy, calling Barbero a “goofball” and stating their confidence that he hadn’t used the tool for real-time assistance. After community backlash over the lighthearted response, ACR admitted the statement was poorly worded and committed to an independent investigation.

Investigation: Following the controversy, Patrick Leonard, one of the most successful online tournament players of all-time, analyzed 1,300 hands from Barbero’s session. His findings? Nacho deviated from GTO in 40% of hands, leading Leonard to confidently conclude that Barbero did not use GTO Wizard to gain an unfair edge.

Similarly, ACR conducted an investigation of their own with no signs of wrongdoing after going through all of the hands played by Barbero on that night. 

Aftermath: Even though Barbero was not using a solver-based tool to benefit his own play, a wider discussion has once again been brought up about the integrity of online poker and how easy it is to use real-time assistance tools.

In The News

• Every Hand Revealed. Winamax has released a nearly hour-long video documenting Gus Hansen's run in the 2024 WSOP Main Event. In the video, Hansen breaks down his thought process for each hand he plays, reminiscent of his 2008 book “Every Hand Revealed” where the Dane documented every hand he played in the 2007 Aussie Millions win for $1.2M. 

• $100M Man. In a recent street interview with The School of Hard Knocks, Tony G claimed to have made $100 million in the past year. He currently serves as the chairman of Sol Strategies, a blockchain company.

• BBJ. PokerStars is testing a bad beat jackpot in its cash games, awarding instant prizes to players who lose with a straight flush or four of a kind. The trial is currently running on the PokerStars.EU client.

Rrrrrrings

Maurice Hawkins has become synonymous with WSOP Circuit events, recently securing his 17th ring at the latest WSOPC stop in Pompano Beach, Florida.

What: Hawkins outlasted a field of 208 players in the $400 buy-in “Grand Master”, an event open only to players aged 40 and older. Participants started with 40,000 chips and played 40-minute levels.  The Florida based Circuit specialist earned $16,137 for the victory. 

Rings: With his 17th ring, Hawkins now holds the second-most WSOPC titles, trailing only Ari Engel, who has 18. He also leads the all-time WSOP Circuit earnings list, having amassed $2,912,931 in cashes.

As the number of WSOP Circuit events continues to grow, players keep discussing the prestige of WSOPC rings and WSOP gold bracelets. An argument can be made that the WSOP is prioritizing expansion at the expense of the prestige of these tournaments.

Regardless of the shifting landscape, Hawkins’ accomplishments remain undeniable, showing that you can carve incredibly successful careers in niches within poker.