"I'm Good For the Game!" Nacho Barbero Signs as a WPT Global Sponsored Pro
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Argentina's Nacho Barbero has been without a sponsor since he and unregulated online poker room ACR parted company in April. However, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is again patched up after signing with WPT Global and becoming a sponsored pro.
Barbero appeared on the most recent edition of the award-winning The Chip Race podcast, which Irish duo David Lappin and Dara O'Kearney host. A tweet revealed the podcast's guest, and Barbero was referred to as "Poker Pro & WPT Global ambassador."
WPT Global is yet to announce Barbero's arrival on its social media channels and is yet to create a profile on its ambassadors page
The Argentinian, who, according to The Hendon Mob Database, has more than $26 million in recorded live tournament cashes, found himself embroiled in controversy late last year. A screenshot of Barbero playing on ACR while having GTO Wizard open at the same time went viral. Barbero denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was coaching four students.
Barbero Is a Goofball
Not only did most of the poker community not buy Barbero's story, but the response from controversial poker site ACR was a doozy.
"Nacho Barbero is a goofball and we love him," ACR's X account tweeted. "Anyone who's played with, against, or around him knows he's not a GTO-style player and likely never will be. We're confident he was not using GTO Wizard to gain any advantage for himself."
A subsequent internal investigation apparently cleared Barbero's name, with ACR claiming, "at no point did he use real-time assistance (RTA) to aid his or any other player's decision-making during live hands."
Patrick Leonard analyzed 1,371 hands Barbero played and concluded he was confident the Argentinian was not using GTO Wizard.
They're Not Even Trying
Just as the storm had calmed, Barbero once again found himself in hot water. Barbero appeared on a PokerGO livestream, where Isaac Haxton questioned him about the recent controversy.
"You can just have GTO Wizard open on your computer while playing? Are they even trying?" asked Haxton.
"I don't think they're trying," Barbero responded.
Barbero's comments ultimately resulted in ACR removing him from their sponsored pro roster. ACR CEO Phil Nagy posted a statement on X.
During Season 26 Episode 4 of the WPT Global-sponsored The Chip Race, Barbero stated that he thought both he and ACR handled the situation poorly. Additionally, he claimed to have misunderstood Haxton's sponsorship-ending question due to having ADHD and being unable to focus on Haxton's question while being active in a hand.
I'm Good For the Game
Despite the controversy surrounding Barbero and his subsequent flippant comment, WPT Global has taken a chance on the popular Argentinian and added him to their star-studded roster of ambassadors.
"I was surprised they signed me. Honestly, I made two stupid mistakes in the past, but everybody who knows me knows I would never cheat."
Barbero went on to say that his high profile will help attract new players to WPT Global and give the online poker site television exposure.
"I think I'm very funny, they love my content. People like watching me on TV because I'm entertaining. I'm very happy that somebody gave me a second opportunity because I think I'm good for the game."
Barbero was last seen in action during the 2025 WSOP, where he twice came close to adding to his solitary bracelet. Among his five cashes were an eighth-place finish in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed and a fourth-place finish in the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller, the latter coming with a $280,030 payout. PokerNews' photographers captured images of Barbero sporting a WPT Global patch during the WSOP, but him being an ambassador was unofficial at the time.
