Images courtesy of Triton Poker Series
The Argentinian poker professional Nacho Barbero is on something of a global heater. In the past few months alone, he has cashed five times in Jeju, South Korea, on the Triton Poker Series, twice in Las Vegas as part of the PokerGO Tour PLO Series, and then five more times in the WSOP Paradise festival.
Finally taking some time out between globetrotting to the next live event, Nacho sat down to tell us about a rollercoaster last year at the felt and give us a hint about his plans in 2026.
The ACR Elephant in the Room
We can’t talk to Nacho without covering his inglorious departure from Americas Cardroom. Back in April, Nacho appeared to question ACR’s investigation into the use of RTA (real-time assistance) and the GTO Wizard application in a clipped piece of video on PokerGO.
It’s been over eight months since ACR Poker CEO Phil Nagy let Nacho leave the team, but the Argentine has no ill feelings toward his previous employers.
I felt so bad because they treated me so well at the company, says Nacho. They did everything for me, and they were amazing. I f**ked it up with a comment on TV and the screenshot I posted.
The consequences were immediate and painful.
The photo in question saw Nacho with GTO Wizard up in the background. While he admits that the throwaway comment on PokerGO was his fault and his alone, the lack of context clearly still upsets him.
On TV, I had no idea what Ike [Isaac Haxton] asked me as I was in the middle of a hand. To the screenshot, I was coaching some horses, and I was running some hands for them.
I don’t even play online much, maybe MTTs once or twice a year. I would never do anything like [use RTA], especially on the site that is paying my salary.
Despite losing his role, Nacho doesn’t believe ACR or Nagy had any other decision to make.
It was stupid on my part, and I’m still so sorry. I feel bad for Philip Nagy; he’s an amazing person, and everybody who works for him knows this. I left him no choice, and it was all my fault. I regret it, but life goes on.
How Sponsorship Has Changed
Over the past few years, poker sponsorships have changed vastly. It used to be seen as the pinnacle of the game to wear a patch for Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars. Now, with new brands like GGPoker and ACR rising in popularity, are sponsorships so keenly sought out in 2026?
Things have changed a lot, Nacho agrees. When I used to represent PokerStars, we had 60 PokerStars Team Pros. They told me they were cutting it to 16, and they’ve been going down and down since. All poker brands need people to represent them.
Nacho is a popular player with poker fans, and because of that, he believes he’s a really good ambassador. Now signed to the WPT stable, Nacho outlined his plans for 2026 to us.
There’s still good money to be made on a sponsorship if you’re a poker pro and you’re trying. I’d like to make more content this year and stream more in 2026.
Joining the World Poker Tour roster has been a blessing for Nacho, and he’s keen to help the game grow.
I really like what they’re doing. They’re trying to push the South American market, and I’ll be trying to play as many tournaments as I can. I love playing tournaments – nobody loves it more than me. I’m very excited and happy to be with the World Poker Tour and appreciate the chance they gave me, and hope I can fulfil their expectations.
WPT Global have been in the headlines this week after a series of controversial social media posts left many questioning the balancing act of humor and offense currently being juggled by the brand. While many have taken their shot at WPT Global, Nacho believes in free speech and doesn’t condemn them.
When I was with ACR, they came out with a video [about me], and it was really funny, says Nacho with a grin. They bash everybody and don’t care. I think it’s funny. Poker can be really serious a lot of the time. Making fun of and trolling people with content makes it more fun.
If they make a video or a meme about me, it’s all right. Poker is entertainment. If we entertain through social media, it can be funny and should continue.
The Pride of Buenos Aires
Nacho is by far the most successful live tournament player to come from Argentina. Given how many great names have hailed from his home country, he has immense pride in representing his nation.
I’m very proud to be the most successful Argentinian tournament player, but I don’t know if I’m the best! he laughs. We have Damian Salas, Ramiro Petrone, Ivan Luca, great players. It’s huge for me to represent my country and South America, playing Triton events and coming out winning.
In recent years, not only has Nacho risen to the top of his country’s rankings, he now sits at 34th on the All-Time Money List on The Hendon Mob, above legends such as the 2025 WSOP Main Event winner Michael Mizrachi, the $8M Big One for One Drop winner Antonio Esfandiari, and the 2024 WSOP Player of the Year Scott Seiver.
I’ve been playing well, and good things are coming my way. I like being a role model for players who say that back in the day, they started playing because they watched me. If I can inspire more people, that would be amazing for me.
The Evolution of the Modern Game
Nacho’s recent success in Triton events will have inspired more South Americans to take to the felt. Hugely successful on the high roller Triton Poker Series, Nacho’s record in locations such as Jeju, Montenegro, and Monaco is highly respected. He’s a big fan of the tour.
Triton have elevated the poker experience – they’re by far the best tournaments I’ve ever played. They have the best dealers, staff, TV crew, production, and the commentators are amazing. The quality of the product is excellent, and the tournaments are super soft.
That statement certainly piques my interest. Amid all the high rollers in the world, why do Triton events stand out as soft to Nacho?
Triton is so much softer skill-wise, he says. A $100,000 Triton event is so much softer than a $25k PokerGO tournament. The ratio of recreational players in Triton events compared to PokerGO.
I love them, and I really like Paul Phua – the co-creator of Triton – who always comes to me and asks me what I want. The tournament director, Luca Vivaldi, does the same, and they listen to all the players, and that’s so great.
Getting the Better of Phil Ivey
Nacho’s most recent successes in Triton events included a heads-up win against the poker legend Phil Ivey. To many fans, Phil is still an enigma and retains a unique mystique, something that is also evidently the case with his fellow players. To beat Ivey on the Triton tour fulfilled a dream for the Argentinian.
I got so lucky last year, beating Adrian Mateos heads-up, who is my favorite No Limit player and Phil Ivey, who is my favorite all-around player in the history of poker. Ivey is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time). He’s the best player who ever played the game.
When he was playing full-time, no one was better than him. Beating him heads-up, I had a huge chip lead, and I coolered him with a straight and a flush draw, and he had kings and a flush draw in PLO. It was a dream come true to beat Ivey, he’s amazing, and my GOAT!
After a stunning 2025, the next 12 months promise a lot from Argentina’s finest tournament player of all-time. With a new sponsor, a pivot to streaming and content creation, and another globetrotting adventure ahead of him, the coming year is guaranteed to be an exciting one for Nacho Barbero.
