Gossip Column: Lauren Roberts Shares Incriminating Chat Screenshots Outing Bryn Kenney, Kenney Denies All Cheating Charges
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- Namita Ghosh April 27, 2022
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3 Minutes Read
The plot keeps getting murkier in the alleged cheating scandal involving Bryn Kenney, the #1 ranked player on the All-Time Money List.
Last weekend, Martin Zamani made very damaging accusations against his former staker! The allegations revolved around Kenney running a cheating ring on GGPoker with his horses. According to Zamani, Kenney’s horses indulged in colluding, ghosting, and other illegal means like using real-time assistance (RTA) tools to cheat players.
In a series of tweets, Lauren Roberts shared screenshots of chats with Kenney, providing fresh evidence that raises more fingers at Kenney.
On Saturday, a day after Zamani’s interview, Roberts unleashed a tweetstorm of her own. She shared screenshots of a mobile chat with Kenney where the latter had asked her to pay up the $2 Million she allegedly owed him for playing on GGPoker. When Roberts asked for an accounting, he kept dodging her, and the conversation went south after that.
As the furor over Kenney’s alleged cult-like cheating operation swept across the poker community, many wondered why the high stakes player hadn’t come out to defend the allegations, barring a short tweet denying the charges. Kenney finally broke his silence yesterday when in a 70-minute audio interview with PokerNews’ Sarah Herring, he refused most of the charges leveled against him – although without sharing much proof.
Let’s take a step-by-step look into all that has transpired since last Friday.
Kenney vs. Roberts’ Feud – What Roberts Says
In his interview with Doug Polk, Martin Zamani talked about how Kenney’s horses duped Lauren Roberts, a high-stake amateur who plays as “He22” on GGPoker. Kenney would ask his horses to join her table whenever she played to make money off her.
Many in the community who knew Kenney thought of Roberts to be his close friend. Hence, these starting accusations by Roberts couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“He22 was one of the bigger losers. But 5ks and 10ks running 24/7. Here’s some Adderall, my good friend, keep grinding you’ll get it back. Shockingly enough, they aren’t around anymore. Only took $2M to realize Bryn was poaching them for his horses. Friends like that who needs enemies,” Zamani said.
There was also a period where “He22” played on gg. This was a good friend of BK a very close friend who BK stayed with and threw parties at their house and they treated Bryn like his son. What did BK do? Made his horses play when his fish friend was playing. Poached them well
— Martin Zamani (@martin_zamani) April 21, 2022
Lauren Roberts first reacted to Zamani’s confession by asserting that he too was involved in Kenney’s cheating ring.
I had no idea Martin was gonna do this. Ironically, I think Martin may have used my account as an example bc I have been kind to him and I think he feels guilty that he didn’t tell me after he found out what was happening. There is so much more to this story.
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
Later, she tweeted a series of text message screenshots where Bryn Kenney asks her to pay up the $2 Million she owes him. After sharing the screenshots, Roberts explained – “The texts I shared were a recent argument with Bryn telling me I owe him money and me asking for an accounting. Notice how the number keeps changing. He wrote it in the book, but then there was no book. He tracks 1000 ppl, no spreadsheet, never wrong.”
She continued – “Then he gets abusive, it’s pathological. When I’d say I wasn’t playing anymore, he’d come up with a new scheme, he’d send me a “freeroll.” Prior to the last losing streak in 2019, he told me I’d give me 1/2 of Sergei’s stake to finance the play bc he needed me to play.”
“I’ve been in finance/poker a long time. I’m not stupid. That’s how I knew he played my account (besides “coaching” me while I played) bc one day, he told me I “won” a tournament, and magically our number went down. But I also witnessed ghosting, collusion with other accounts too.”
Take a look at the messages exchanged between Roberts and Kenney:
a few text screenshots to leave you with and I’m outta here. Thanks to anyone who ever supported me on this wretched site. I lost money but poker has given me way more than it’s taken.
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) April 23, 2022
Roberts also alluded that there was no way GGPoker could have been unaware of what was going on. “GG knowingly built an illegal business off the backs of Bryn’s players VPNing in. When their valuation soared, they decided to get legit.”
She added, “Remember, there was no way to get money in and out of GG. It all went through Bryn, paid in cash, crypto, chips. When he and GG fell out, he decided to develop his own poker site and did a capital raise, which is another potential shit storm.”
Ironically, Roberts adored Kenney at one time. Back in 2019, when she won the USPO Event #3: $10K NLH in Las Vegas, she thanked Kenney profusely for believing in her.
Your friendship has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. ❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰. Thank you @BrynKenney for believing in me! pic.twitter.com/LGX5Ot1VPs
— Lauren Roberts (@PlayPokerLkAMan) February 19, 2019
Sergei Reixach Reacts
While Roberts has come out with her story, Sergei Reixach, one of Kenney’s horses allegedly involved in the cheating scandal, has come out with his statement. Admitting to being banned by GGPoker for using illegal pre-flop charts, Reixach refuted all other charges against him.
My statement pic.twitter.com/yTk7qR1dRJ
— Sergi Reixach (@srxakgirona) April 23, 2022
Kenney Refutes All Charges
On Tuesday, PokerNews’ Sarah Herring interviewed Bryn Kenney, admitting that she’s a long-time friend but has kept the interview transparent and honest. In the interview, Kenney downplayed Martin Zamani’s credibility – “Martin’s a person that, through our conversations, has never been really happy in his life.”
He charged that Doug Polk was “out to get me.”
Kenney denied benefitting financially from any help he gave his horses and using real-time assistance (RTA) tools during online play. Expressing shock at the accusations of being able to view his horses’ screen while they were playing poker online, Kenney said – “It’s absolutely crazy. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Kenney was dodgy in his replies to Herring’s questions. Asked if he had ghosted players online, Kenney said that while he has walked past players competing in online poker games, he hasn’t ghosted for anyone. “I mean, you know, I’ve had a poker career for 17 years. Have I ever been in the same room with someone advising them or coaching them?”
Admitting that he once considered Roberts to be one of his best friends, Kenney said, “I don’t understand how, (on) one side, she can say that I was playing on her account, but then on the other side, I was having people hunt her because she was a weak player.”
He mentioned how Roberts would get upset when he began going on trips without her but with his girlfriend. She also misled him about her wealth and poker abilities, he charged. “I prefer not to talk about other people, but our relationship, it changed a little bit.”
Joey Ingram and Doug Polk discussed Kenney’s claims following his interview with PokerNews. You can watch the podcast below.
Matt Berkey also discussed the Kenney cheating episode in the “Only Friends Podcast.” Watch it below.
While Roberts’ screenshots are damning, there’s currently no other hard evidence against Kenney proving the collusion and cheating charges. It’s unbelievable that the poker community has witnessed iconic players like Ali Imsirovic, Jake Schindler, and now Kenney leveled with such severe accusations of cheating in a short period.
Meanwhile, Polk has openly invited Kenney to come to his show and open up about the cheating allegations. The duo has not entirely been on civil terms in the recent past, so it’ll be interesting to see how Kenney reacts to the invite.
For now, Kenney has undoubtedly become the new dark horse of the poker community!
- Categories Latest News,Feature
- KeywordsTags: GGPoker, Lauren Roberts, Martin Zamani, Bryn Kenney, Online Poker, Gossip Column
