It seems like every other week, there’s a new controversy surrounding online WSOP bracelet events. Remember the whole Kevin “GR4ND_THEFT” Ruscitti situation? Michigan’s reigning WSOP Online Player of the Year got suspended from WSOP.com after accusations of using real-time assistance (RTA) tools. Well, another online bracelet event has been hit with controversy, and this one’s a doozy.
The WSOP $25,000 GGMillion$ Super High Roller Championship hosted by GGPoker was one of the most anticipated online tournaments of the year, drawing top players from around the world. Everyone was surprised when a relatively unknown player, ‘forzaitalia,’ took down the event for a jaw-dropping $1.10 Million and the coveted WSOP bracelet. But this Cinderella story just took a sharp turn into Controversyville.
It all started when the MTT Database Review Twitter account dropped a bombshell, suggesting that multi-accounting might be the reason behind the disqualification. “So apparently GG banned the winner of a 25kGGMillion SHR Championship and everyone laddered a FULL PAY JUMP,” they tweeted. “Don’t know the reason. Never heard that name before so my guess would be multi-accounting. Is this the largest single ban and refund in the history of online poker?”
So apparently GG banned winner of a $25k GGMillion$ SHR Championship and everyone laddered a FULL PAY JUMP. Don’t know the reason. Never heard that name before so my guess would be multiaccounting?
Is this the largest single ban and refund in history of online poker?😱 pic.twitter.com/cQnt7LU0ii— MTT Database Review (@MTT_Data_Review) November 4, 2024
From Hero to Zero: The Shocking Disqualification
‘Forzaitalia,’ who was later revealed to be Francesco Garofalo (with only $38K in previous winnings on GGPoker), was on top of the world after his massive win. He had outlasted a field of absolute crushers, including Chris Brewer, Bryn Kenney, Adrian Mateos, Patrick Leonard, Roman Hrabec, Dimitar Danchev, and Ole Schemion. Garofalo’s run was nothing short of spectacular: he entered the final table with the third-largest stack, doubled through Brewer, and went on to eliminate several top players, ultimately defeating Brewer heads-up to win the bracelet and the life-changing seven-figure score.
But just weeks later, GGPoker dropped a bombshell: Garofalo was disqualified, his $1.10 Million prize confiscated, and he was banned from the platform. The exact reason for his disqualification remains a mystery, but GGPoker assured players that the “offending players have been permanently banned from the GGPoker Network.” This announcement sent the poker community into a frenzy, with speculation running rampant about the possible reasons for his downfall, ranging from multi-accounting to other potential violations.
Unexpected Windfalls: Big Winners from the Payout Shuffle
With Garofalo’s winnings redistributed, several high-profile players received some unexpected good news. Chris Brewer, who initially finished as the runner-up, got a nice bump of $256,866, bringing his total payout close to the original first-place prize. Bryn Kenney, who placed third, added $198,070 to his winnings, while Patrick Leonard woke up to a $152,733.53 refund, moving from fourth to third place money.
The CoinPoker ambassador even tweeted about it!
Wow just woke up to this. I think my biggest security refund previously was at most $2k.
It’s a beautiful day to have a beautiful day I guess! pic.twitter.com/knZW5ADOMW
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) November 4, 2024
Wow just woke up to this. I think my biggest security refund previously was at most $2k.
It’s a beautiful day to have a beautiful day I guess! pic.twitter.com/knZW5ADOMW
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) November 4, 2024
Wow just woke up to this. I think my biggest security refund previously was at most $2k.
It’s a beautiful day to have a beautiful day I guess! pic.twitter.com/knZW5ADOMW
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) November 4, 2024
Leonard, who had only ever received a $2K refund before, praised GGPoker for taking action, saying, “Massive, massive props to GG for doing this refund.”
Wow just woke up to this. I think my biggest security refund previously was at most $2k.
It’s a beautiful day to have a beautiful day I guess! pic.twitter.com/knZW5ADOMW
— Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) November 4, 2024
Although Brewer got a significant financial boost, he didn’t receive the WSOP bracelet, leaving the top honour unclaimed. But Brewer took it in stride, posting online that he was “quite happy either way.”
IF the one they banned was the winner then yes. Only @Chris_D_Brewer can shine the light on this
— Tudor Purice (@aseHighTP) November 4, 2024
The Poker World Reacts: Concerns Over Cheating and Fair Play
This shocking disqualification has ignited a firestorm of debate in the poker community. While some players celebrated their unexpected pay jumps, others expressed concerns about the growing threat of cheating in online poker. Some community members pointed to multi-accounting as the likely reason for Garofalo’s disqualification, while others speculated about other possible violations.
This incident comes on the heels of another high-profile controversy involving Michigan’s WSOP Online Player of the Year, Kevin “GR4ND_THEFT” Ruscitti, who was suspended over alleged real-time assistance (RTA) use. These back-to-back controversies have highlighted the urgent need for stronger safeguards in online poker.
Top players like Patrick Leonard have been vocal about the threat of RTA tools, with Leonard calling GTO Wizard “a lethal weapon” for cheaters and urging poker platforms to implement stricter anti-cheating measures.
A Historic Ban, But Not the Largest
This incident is definitely one of the most significant bans and refunds in online poker history, but it is not entirely unprecedented. In 2007, the winner of PokerStars’ WCOOP Main Event, ‘TheV0id,‘ was disqualified after winning $1.37 Million. The account was later linked to Natalie Teltscher (sister of poker pro Mark Teltscher) and banned, with the prize reassigned to Kyle ‘ka$ino’ Schroeder.
Another similar incident occurred in 2018 when Dutch player ‘wann2play‘ was stripped of the WCOOP Main Event prize, worth $1.35 Million, with Argentinian pro Ezequiel Waigel declared the winner instead.
These controversies serve as a wake-up call for the online poker industry, highlighting the need for continuous improvement and adaptation to combat the ever-evolving threat of cheating. The future of online poker depends on the ability of operators to create a safe and fair environment for all players.