ACR Poker says it investigated the real-time help (RTA) allegations towards sponsored professional Nacho Barbero and concluded that “at no level did he use real-time help (RTA) to assist his or every other participant’s decision-making throughout reside palms.”
Barbero, Argentina’s all-time cash chief with $21.6 million in Hendon Mob earnings, got here below fireplace final week for posting a photograph apparently exhibiting a GTO Wizard solver output pulled up throughout an internet poker session on the unregulated poker web site. The high-stakes professional denied utilizing it for in-game help, claiming it was to teach different gamers on a Discord name, and ACR launched a broadly criticized assertion calling Barbero a “goofball” who’s “not a GTO-style participant and certain by no means can be.”
Now, the US-facing unregulated poker web site says a “thorough inner investigation of all palms performed within the tournaments Nacho participated in” has cleared him of any wrongdoing.
“We stay dedicated to transparency and equity, and we are going to proceed to work to earn the continued belief of our gamers and group,” ACR wrote on X.
Patrick Leonard Clears Barbero in Separate Investigation
The Phil Nagy-operated web site additionally famous that “unbiased events are conducting their very own evaluations, and we’re assured that they may come to the identical conclusion.”
That features on-line professional and streamer Patrick Leonard, who carried out his personal investigation by looking out GTO Wizard and 1,371 palms performed by Barbero.
After a whole lot of “shut spots,” Leonard concluded that “Nacho was by no means utilizing GTO Wizard to cheat preflop or post-flop.
“In nearly each shut spot he used both a special sizing to what GTO Wizard would use or a special hand choice,” Leonard stated in a video breaking down his findings. “Put up-flop he had utterly totally different concepts of what GTO Wizard would do. There is no historical past of him utilizing his personal account to do that.”
The British professional checked out each preflop and post-flop play and particularly at three-bet pots the place he stated RTA use was the most typical. In these spots, Leonard stated Barbero regularly used too small of three-bet sizes.
“Nacho performed persistently dangerous in three-bet pots all through your entire hand historical past of Venom,” Leonard stated. “There was many, many inaccurate three-bet spots,” Leonard stated.
Leonard conceded that Barbero might have used another person’s account to search for palms. “That is positively potential and is one thing that could possibly be potential of any participant.”
Leonard is admittedly mates with Barbero, main some to name for a very unbiased celebration to analyze. Regardless of not discovering proof of dishonest, he referred to as Barbero’s actions “very, very dangerous” and famous that “as an envoy, he must be held to increased requirements.”
Reflecting extra broadly on the state of on-line poker, Leonard stated he was fearful about how simple it was for gamers to cheat with RTA instruments and referred to as on operators and poker software corporations to implement delays and different strategies to forestall RTA.
“I consider we’re in a really darkish time in on-line poker proper now,” Leonard stated.
Connor Richards
Editor & Dwell Reporter U.S.
