The buzz around Bryn Kenney’s alleged misconduct is definitely worth unpacking and understanding. It’s arguably one of the most significant controversies the poker community has faced. Despite the ongoing denials and the fog of confusion, the story must be told. Before going into it, take a glance at Kenney’s life:

Kenney, the renowned pro poker dude hailing from Long Beach, New York, has been making waves in the industry since the mid-2000s. He’s racked up top prizes in numerous major poker tournaments, such as the Aussie Millions Main Event in 2019 and, more notably, the $250,000 Luxon Invitational at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London back in August 2023, where he pocketed a whopping $6,860,000. With these victories and others, his total winnings have soared.

They propelled him to the number one spot in the Global Poker Index, with a staggering total of $63,631,854 as of February 2024.

However, amidst Kenney’s success, there’s a shadow looming over him and his staking group. Revelations from a former member of the group have sparked controversy. This cracked Kenney’s reputation and raised eyebrows across the poker community. It’s a juicy story already, with a high-stakes “winner” now caught up in turmoil. Keep reading to find out how everything went down.

Bryn Kenney and His Staking Group

If you’ve been coming across terms including “Staking Group” or “Staking Stable” in recent articles, especially in light of Kenney’s not-looking-good situation, they will be explained to you here. 

Essentially, both phrases refer to the same thing: a group of poker players who are sponsored by the same backer or group of backers — in this case, Kenney himself. In this setup, the players in the group are often referred to as “horses,” with one of them usually being a more experienced player, which is Kenney here, leading the pack. However, given the recent revelations suggesting foul play, it’s uncertain if Kenney’s “experience” can still be trusted.

Here’s the sauce: these backers don’t offer their support for free, you know; they take a cut of the winnings in return. This arrangement allows players to take part in games that might be beyond their individual bankrolls. They also get to distribute the financial risk among the group members. In addition, being part of a stable often means receiving coaching and guidance to improve your game.

Typically, a stable consists of several members. But the ones mentioned in the allegations were only Sergi Reixach and David Miscikowski, and they were around one another.

Rumour has it that Kenney wasn’t just your average poker backer — he fancied himself a bit of something more, too. Allegedly, he took on the role of a strict coach, putting his horses on diets and perhaps making sure they hit the gym regularly. Can you imagine sweating it out on the treadmill between the hands of Texas Hold’em?

But it didn’t end there. Word on the street is he also dabbled in mind games, throwing in some mindset and discipline training and voodoo worship for good measure. The full details are in the next section; trust me, you won’t want to miss this.

The Allegations

It could have been a bright morning, a lazy afternoon, or a quiet evening — no one knows for sure. But what we do know is that everything kicked off on April 21, 2022. That’s the day when Martin Zamani, a former member of Kenney’s staking group, decided to stir the pot a bit and dropped a bombshell on Twitter.

What was the bombshell, you ask? Well, Zamani boldly claimed that Kenney was up to some shady business. He accused him of cheating and colluding with his “horses” on GGPoker and PartyPoker. Zamani spilled the tea on forced collusion in satellites, ghosting, and real-time assistance (RTA) usage. And come look at this: they’d allegedly been pulling off these stunts in thousands of online tournaments!

Naturally, the internet went into a frenzy over these shocking allegations. People were hungry for more details. So, who else but Doug Polk, the renowned podcaster and YouTuber, stepped in to get the full gist from Zamani himself?

So, when Zamani hopped on the podcast to spill more of the beans, it was as if opening a can of worms. He revealed the wildness of Kenney’s operation, suggesting it was more of a cult than a staking group. According to Zamani, the “horses” had to toe the line or face the music — strict diets (vegan only, anyone?) and harsh criticism for slipping up, for example, one poor soul caught red-handed sneaking off for some hot sauce Taco Bell and was chastised.

But wait, it gets even stranger. Zamani claimed Kenney sent him off to see a shaman for some kind of “help.” Apparently, this shaman wasn’t your run-of-the-mill therapist. When they first met, she came out swinging with some seriously bizarre tactics, such as trying to convince Zamani she was a warlord’s wife.

And she went on to say she’s a killer, thief, and liar, all in an attempt to put fear in his mind. Zamani said the shaman was trying to conduct a painful (cutting) ritual on him by injecting frog poison into him (open wound) known as Kombo.

No wonder she herself said she was a “killer.” And this ritual thing was why I said Kenney might be a voodoo worshipper in the previous section, haha. Zamani didn’t allow the shaman to cut him open, though.

And if that wasn’t enough, Zamani dropped another bombshell. He suspected Kenney had a sneaky way of peeking at his computer screen during their online poker matches. Whether this is true or not is anyone’s guess, but if it is, it’s definitely cause for concern. 

The Evidence

After those podcast leakages, Zamani wasn’t done causing a 6.1 earthquake. He took to Twitter once again, but this time, he came prepared with evidence to back up his claims. Because let’s face it, words alone can only take you so far — actions speak louder, right?

And boy, did Zamani come armed. He dropped screenshots of conversations between Kenney and a fellow pro player. They were discussing plans to assist another player during a game — a.k .a. “ghosting.” It was more of peeking behind the curtain and seeing the wizard at work.

But Zamani wasn’t the only one speaking out. Another former horse of Kenney’s stable, who had since risen to the ranks of a pro with a hefty $3 million in live tournament earnings, also came forward. He is the “pro player” in the screenshots mentioned earlier; he is George Wolff. This player added his voice to confirm some of Zamani’s allegations. 

Another player bravely stepped forward to share their own experiences with Kenney’s cheating squad. It was Lauren Roberts, a high-stakes amateur. Her firsthand accounts (Kenney allegedly abused her) added further weight to the growing pile of confirmations. This painted a clearer picture of the alleged misconduct surrounding Kenney. The poker community couldn’t help but support Roberts after the revelations. Oh no, truth-tellers are stepping into the spotlight.

Alright, I’m not here to play judge and jury. But when multiple people who’ve been in the trenches with Kenney start sounding the alarm, it’s hard not to take notice. After all, who knows the truth better than those who’ve lived it? And if that’s not convincing enough, just take a look at those damning screenshots. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, right?

Kenney’s Response

After a while of the arrows of allegations flying in from different directions through the windows of Kenney, he finally decided it was time to break his silence. Taking to the PokerNews podcast with his old buddy Sarah Herring, Kenney attempted to play the victim card.

He painted Zamani as a hungry gold digger, accusing him of trying to dredge up dirt for blackmail purposes. Kenney didn’t hold back, even going so far as to smear shit on Zamani’s character. He labeled him as an ex-convict, insinuating that anything that came from his mouth was nonsense.

In an effort to deflect from the damning screenshots previously mentioned, Kenney downplayed their significance. He argued that they lacked substantial proof. He admitted to occasionally offering assistance to other players. But he brushed off any suggestion of wrongdoing. However, despite Kenney’s attempts to discredit the evidence, the screenshots still raised questions about his involvement.

Despite the mounting confirmations against him, Kenney has yet to step back into the public eye to address them. This silence may not bode well for him as he faces increasing scrutiny and backlash from the poker community.

Let me fix this here, as I was not able to before. Note that before starting the podcast interview with Zamani, Polk disclosed that Kenney had warned him through his legal team. Kenney made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to take legal action if any misinformation that could harm his reputation was spread. This added an interesting dynamic to the interview. It hinted at the stakes involved and the potential “consequences” of discussing the allegations.

To Conclude with “Pure” Intent: The Hit on The Poker Community

All these events have likely further tarnished the already questionable reputation of online poker. People are starting to question the ethics and legality of staking groups in online poker. It’s ignited discussions about the integrity of online poker as a whole, leaving the poker community to reassess their views.

The controversy surrounding Kenney could potentially result in stricter rules and regulations for online poker platforms, particularly concerning the use of real-time assistance tools and the operation of staking groups. All because of Kenney’s actions. One can’t help but wonder, why not stick to the original purpose of staking groups — to mentor and develop talents?

Instead of focusing on shortcuts, Kenney could have left a lasting legacy of skilled players. When players are genuinely talented, cheating wouldn’t even cross their minds.

In the end, what’s needed is more transparency and regulation in the online poker industry, all in a bid to add more energy to preventing similar scandals from happening in the future.