I totally agree. Why would they want to lose business from some well-known, high-rake paying players, some with a following within the poker community... unless there was good reason for it.
After this second round of accusations - from Ali Imsirovic onto Bryn Kenney- I wonder if the faith with which GG placed in a figure such as Kenney made them aware that at all levels the platform could be cheated but at the high roller level the incentive was greatest.
But first I want to interject with this crucial point which everyone and their uncle seems to have overlooked. All these abuses on GG Poker , which would include signing up of players to GG which Zamani claimed he did at the WSOP (to provide rake to Kenney and his stable) were all being done by US based players. Though Zamani was operating for Kenney online out of
mexico...are we seriously to presume all the players who got taken were also playing from outside the US? So, would it be fair to ask whether GG was allowing the widespread use of VPN's through certain phases? I know the high roller streams which I have watched of late all feature players who definitely
are internationally based...but through these scam phases?
Back to the scams.
I remember GG made a song and dance about Bryn Kenney (2018?) as it was in the early days of my interest in poker, which was as much the psychology of poker as the gamble. I knew Kenney was a notoriously a reckless player. He had gone broke numerous times so I found him an odd choice as a brand ambassador or whatever role he played.
But, it wasn't until these new accusations that I realized at some point Bryn Kenney just seemed to disappear from all things GG. If fact I had to Google what had happened and found one report that (like Dan Bilzerian) someone realized Bryn Kenney was no longer featured anywhere on GG. They asked and a GG spokesman confirmed, Kenney was 'no longer with them...but they wished him all the best'.
One presumes at that point that GG (naive idiots?) were horrified at how Kenney was abusing them on numerous fronts including using RTA and his horses. Martin Zamani's claims now appear accurate and have been verified independently including by Lauren Roberts. For example, what was a little hazy in the Doug Polk podcast became clearer on the Solve For Why podcast regarding Lauren Roberts.
Roberts is successful, very wealthy and had a passion to learn poker. Somehow Kenney became good 'friends' with her, persuaded Roberts he could set up small games for her to play on GG (he could) and then used his horses to batter her. After the Polk podcast someone checked Lauren Roberts
sharkscope profile to confirm she had lost $2 million through those games. Roberts then confirmed by Tweet she had even allowed Kenney to use her account at times as Zamani had claimed.
I presume after the Bryn Kenney debacle unfolded behind the scenes at GG, they probed the extent to which they had allowed him and his network to abuse the site and numerous members. The rake to agents and Kenney himself, the setting up of games to fleece members through the use of ghosting and of course Real Time Assistance.
I am going to credit GG as playing no willing role in any of this until I hear otherwise - they just come off as incredibly gullible. However if they did learn anything from the Kenney abuse it would be to look for similar situations to develop which would mean they likely concluded Imsirovic and Schindler were pulling similar stunts (horses, ghosting and RTA) in terms of targeting players at specific level of game.
And regarding the Imsirovic phase using GG to abuse others, I understand why Alex Foxen teed off with direct allegations. Foxen and Kristin Bicknell are partners but also two of the best players in the world. Kristin Bicknell revealed yesterday that together they had endured a downswing of $1.5 million dollars through that period. When GG then announced it had kicked off players and 'seized' funds which they would redistribute (without releasing any names) they compensated Foxen and Bicknell to the tune of $15,000 dollars.
So though I am not accusing GG Poker of being complicit, there would seem to be a gigantic hole of millions of dollars being 'won' in dubious circumstances and little evidence (to date) such funds were seized and re-distributed with
equity.
By the by, for those reading this far it should also be noted it was confirmed Cary Katz (yes, of PokerGo) has apparently been Bryn Kenney's long term backer and he would allow Kenneys stable of horses to sign into live tournaments under his account. Also according to Zamani, Kenney and his horses were allowed a free run on Party Poker for a spell before that finally got knocked on the head.
