Editor
After a turbulent period for ACR poker, the online poker site announced a consequential decision on Monday: They informed the poker world that they are cutting ties with Nacho Barbero as ambassador.
ACR owner Phil Nagy explained the decision in a statement.
To our knowledge, Nacho has not brought any security concerns or questions to us, either in team pro meetings or through direct communication. 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.
The nature of these comments reflects a fundamental misalignment with our values. As a result, we have decided to part ways with Nacho as an ambassador for ACR Poker.
We remain committed to ensuring a positive and secure gaming experience for our community, built on the foundation of trust and respect.”
This decision comes on the heels of Barbero’s comments on a stream of the US Poker Open. Isaac Haxton referenced the previous controversy surrounding Barbero and ACR.
Haxton broached the topic and questioned Barbero about how ACR allowed Barbero to even have the option of having RTA open on his computer while playing on ACR. Barbero’s response was flippant: “I don’t think they are trying,” which undercut ACR’s supposed commitment to security.
These comments garnered significant negative responses from many people in poker in social media, just as the original controversy did.
There were people who believed this was a move that was overdue. Including another ACR ambassador, Chris Moneymaker, who believed ACR should have removed Barbero even prior to this.
This episode is likely not going to be the last controversy to stem from ACR, but they hope that this particular chapter of drama with Barbero is
