Deputy Editor
GGPoker is offering banned players a chance at reinstatement via what it’s calling an “Olive Branch” program.
GGPoker explained its reasoning for granting the opportunity:
…just as the poker industry grows and matures, we recognize that people can also change. Players who once contributed unsportsmanlike behavior may have since evolved, learned from their mistakes, and developed a genuine commitment to fair play.
In this spirit of growth and second chances, we are announcing the Olive Branch Initiative. This carefully structured initiative offers a reinstatement path for players previously banned from the GGPoker Network and a secondary review for players who feel wrongly accused.
The opportunity for reinstatement comes just in time for players to try to qualify for the upcoming World Series of Poker Paradise in December. Taking place live in the Bahamas, that series features an extremely ambitious $60 million guarantee on its $25,000 Super Main Event. GGPoker will review all applications for amnesty by November 1, allowing players plenty of time to qualify and book travel.
How the GGPoker Olive Branch Initiative Works
Players wishing to remove themselves from the banned list must apply for reinstatement by October 1. They must send an email to GGPoker with the following:
- GGPoker Network account nickname
- Full name
- Detailed explanation of reasoning behind requested reinstatement
- Recent Proof of Identity (POI), Proof of Address (POA), and a selfie holding POI
GGPoker will then review all applicants before the end of October. Players who apply will receive the results by Nov. 1.
GGPoker maintained that it still enforces a “zero-tolerance” policy, and says that hasn’t changed.
“The Olive Branch Program represents our belief that while we must protect our community, we should remain open to redemption when it is genuinely warranted,” the release said.
Which Players May Return to GGPoker?
GGPoker has dealt with its share of cheating over the years, like any other poker site. Online poker cheating can take many forms, from basic collusion between two or more players to multi-accounting and “ghosting” (when a player who isn’t the account holder receives advice from a player watching them play). However, it has historically banned players not just for cheating but also for predatory tactics like “bum-hunting” (stalking particularly weak players from table to table), which other sites discourage but do not generally consider to be a bannable violation.
In one of the more high-profile cheating scandals on the site, a WSOP bracelet winner was stripped of a seven-figure win last year.
GGPoker also announced this February that it had banned 31 accounts. Presumably, they had been using real-time assistance (RTA), as GGPoker announced the bans as a result of a GTO Wizard joint investigation. GTO Wizard’s solver functionality includes a “fair play” tool where players can check whether a hand they recently played was entered into the tool and when.
In 2020, high-stakes regular Fedor Kruse was outed as using RTA by his roommates. He reportedly used a two-computer setup to solve every hand he was playing in real time.
Alex Foxen said in 2022 that GGPoker has also banned former high-stakes regular Ali Imsirovic.
GGPoker said it will evaluate the merits of every application based on timeline, the circumstances of the original violation, and the ability of the applicant to demonstrate genuine change.
