It took over 24 hours, but Ebony Kenney eventually responded on Sunday to a year-old image that surfaced showing a real-time assistance (RTA) chart on her computer screen while playing online poker. But the poker community doesn’t seem to be buying the excuse.
The same can be said about social media comments made by the poker site Kenney represents — ACR Poker — in regards to their ambassador’s controversy.
Kenney isn’t the only ACR pro in recent weeks to face backlash over RTA use. Nacho Barbero took some heat last month for, like Kenney, having an RTA chart visible while playing poker online. He claimed to have only been using it to assist those he is coaching during a Discord chat, and not to help his own play.
That excuse wasn’t sufficient to many poker fans, and neither was ACR’s response that defended Barbero as being just a “goofball.” The unregulated US-facing poker site conducted an internal investigation, apparently, and found no wrongdoing from their high-profile pro. They came to a similar conclusion with the second exposed incident.
“This image first circulated on social media at that time and there was no evidence that the software was used in real-time to gain an unfair advantage. Following the recent concerns, we re-reviewed the facts and reached the same conclusion. We want to assure players that we take all concerns about game integrity seriously,” the ACR Poker X account wrote in response to the January 2024 image that has resurfaced.
ACR Poker Pro’s Excuse Shot Down by Online Poker Legend
Poker X slammed ACR for its tweet about Kenney, much like they did following the Barbero incident. One person wrote that “they both should be fired immediately,” referring to the two ACR pros caught with RTA’s. Other poker fans were critical of the poker site for not enforcing their own Terms of Service (ToS).
But the comments were even harsher towards Kenney after she responded to the criticism in a lengthy tweet that came a day after the video surfaced.
“After losing a big hand, I opened GTO Wizard to run the spot while I was not in a hand,” Kenney wrote.
There are two issues in play with this controversy, much like when it came to Barbero. Since there is no way to prove either player used GTO Wizard (or any RTA) while in a hand, it comes down to if the poker site’s ToS explicitly states that RTA use is or isn’t permitted when not in a hand. In the case of ACR Poker, Section 4.2.3 reads: “Any tool, software, or piece of material that offers real-time advice (RTA) on how to act at the table, that reduces, influences, or eliminates the player decision making process during a hand in play.”
But Benjamin “benc789” Rolle, an online poker legend, doesn’t think it should even matter that she wasn’t in a hand while using the RTA.
“I don’t understand why people still believe that analyzing a spot after a hand is justifiable. It is not as bad as doing it during a hand, but it is still very bad. It gives you an unfair advantage. You get to see real-time results for a situation on your table. You get to see the perfect solution for preflop and postflop, which gives you an unfair advantage for upcoming hands that will likely be in similar situations,” Rolle tweeted.
Kenney’s Response and Reactions
Kenney continued to defend her actions by stating that she has never “used RTA software in real time to gain an unfair advantage while playing,” a comment Rolle disputes. She said her use of GTO Wizard is “rare because I don’t study nearly as much as I’d like to.”
“When I do use it, it’s strictly to review past hands or run drills — never during play,” Kenney said of her RTA use.
The poker site ambassador then took “full responsibility” and said she will “stand firm in doing my part to uphold the integrity of the game.” She ended her response by ensuring the poker community that if anyone looks into her hand histories, they’ll find no evidence of RTA use.
Kenney’s tweet received mostly negative reactions, including from poker pro Vanessa Kade, who wrote: “full responsibility would be quitting.” Some, however, went beyond civil discourse and fired personal insults at the ACR Pro, of which we won’t mention.
“You admitted to using GTO wizard while playing while simultaneously saying you never use it during play,” @0xTimB1 commented.
“‘A screenshot of me using GTOW while playing is being shared. Yes, I used it while playing, but rest assured I don’t use it while playing’ is one hell of a statement,” @HighlightsUte sarcastically tweeted.
“This makes me really sad and disappointed. I look up to you, and the lack of accountability falls flat. Working to send you positive vibes in the hopes you and change that energy,” @DrAlexChauran wrote.
Kenney and Barbero have long been respected players within the poker community. But their responses to RTA accusations have seemingly fell flat.