Chinese poker pro Ren Lin banned on Day 2 of WSOP Circuit event for past misdeeds on GGPoker

[Dan Druff]

Ren Lin is a successful high stakes poker pro from China. He has $16m in Hendon Mob cashes.

Many where shocked when Lin was banned before Day 2 at the WSOP Circuit $5300 Main Event in Cyprus.

Lin was not accused of any wrongdoing in that tournament, or in any other tournament in the Cyprus series. Instead, he was accused of giving a friend strategy advice during the final table of a GGPoker online event on October 14.

It was found that player "RealOA", who won that online event, had been sending screen shots to a chat with Ren and other poker pros, asking for real-time advice during the final table. Ren was one of the people supplying advice to RealOA. This sort of behavior is strictly against the terms of service on GGPoker, though it's not as bad as actual multi-accounting or ghosting.

One of the other players at the final table named "Buzzcut" also happened to be a member of that chat, so he screen shotted everything and reported it to GG. After winning the event, RealOA thanked Lin in the chat "for the coaching". Upon Lin learning that Buzzcut was witness to all of this, he apologized, which Buzzcut also sent to GG as more proof that Lin had substantially helped RealOA win.


The response to Lin's ban from the circuit event was mixed, but more negative than positive. Most people felt that banning him in the middle of an unrelated event was a step too far. I agree.

While I don't feel sorry for Lin, as there's way too much ghosting and coaching going on during these online final tables, it's horrible practice to ban people from unrelated events AFTER taking their money and allowing them to play. Had they banned Lin at the time of registration -- by simply refunding his money and sending him away -- I would be fine with that, and in fact would have been cheering it. They should not disqualify players CURRENTLY in a tournament, unless the player is credibly accused of cheating in that tournament or in another one in that same series.

I'm sure GGPoker would argue that this ban occurred just 4 days after his antics during GGPoker's online event, and since they run the series for both venues, this was timely and appropriate. But I still disagree. Once they let him register and play, he should be allowed to finish off that tournament, and then they can ban him after that.

Otherwise this could be used to freeroll against players that a tournament organizer doesn't like -- letting them register and pay, and then banning them if they seem to be doing well or running deep.


Here's a pretty good Pokernews article about the situation: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/...ment-49881.htm

[Dan Druff]

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/tonylin88350321/status/1979940916950364630

The above link is to his "public apology", which I will post a copy of below.

The bolding is his, not mine.

A Public Apology Regarding the GG10300 Final Table Incident

I am Tony Lin. I hereby extend my sincerest apologies to all players affected by the coaching incident during the GG10300 Final Table, as well as to the platform and the friends who have always supported me.

I must state unequivocally that I gained no form of profit from this incident. I held no stake in any player's entry, received no payment, and derived no benefit whatsoever. My actions were purely an instinctive reaction in an inappropriate setting—one that contradicted the principles of fair competition I have always strived to uphold.

On the day of the incident, I was competing in a WSOP event in Cyprus. During a ten-minute break, I clicked a Tencent Meeting link shared by RealOA. Upon joining, I saw he was playing the GG10300 Final Table. When he asked for my opinion on a hand, I responded instinctively, offering my personal advice simply out of a desire to help a friend. The entire interaction lasted only a few minutes, after which I left the call and returned to my live tournament. As it was my first time entering such a live session, I failed to recognize it as a rule violation at that moment, mistakenly equating it with post-tournament hand discussions common in our chat groups.

Later, I learned in our poker group that RealOA had won the event. He sent a $100 red packet in our 500-member group, tagged me, and thanked me for the advice. I did not accept the red packet. It was only when another player, Yl3i, posted about his third-place finish that I realized Buzzcut was his in-game ID, and I congratulated him accordingly.

After my own tournament ended, I reflected deeply: if I were playing online and discovered my opponent had a friend offering advice, wouldn’t that be cheating? The moment I grasped the severity of the situation, I immediately contacted Buzzcut to apologize and explain the circumstances. I am grateful to have since received Yl3i’s understanding.

The founding principle of my poker community has always been clear: “We do not tolerate poor conduct, soft play, or any form of cheating. Any player found engaging in such behavior will be removed immediately.” To me, soft play or cheating is no different from theft—it is a form of wrongdoing. Buzzcut has been a member of this group and knows my character well. He shared that, had this incident not occurred, his perception of me would have remained one of respect and goodwill.

Although poker—particularly in Asia and specifically in China—is not yet widely accepted by the public, I believe that as a player of this generation and the admin of this community, I have both the responsibility and the confidence to set a positive example. It has been my mission over the past decade to help people beyond the poker world understand that Texas Hold'em is not a game where gamblers rely solely on luck to profit. Rather, it is a true test of skill and integrity—a competitive sport worthy of honorable participants.

Having experienced many difficult periods in my own life, I understand deeply what it means to struggle. That is why, when I see friends in need, I often feel an unconscious urge to assist. It was this very mindset—"having been rained on, I always want to hold an umbrella for others"—that led me to commit this serious error and cross a clear competitive boundary.

Although my intentions were not self-serving, a mistake was made, and I take full responsibility.

Following communication with the relevant parties, RealOA has returned the majority of the prize money last night, and I will cover the remaining portion. The total amount has been submitted to the platform for fair distribution.

As a public figure, I am deeply ashamed and remorseful for failing to live up to the standards I advocate. I am prepared to accept all penalties and will make every effort to compensate the players affected in this event.

I sincerely hope this incident serves as a cautionary example, and I urge everyone to join me in upholding a safe and fair competitive environment for poker—both online and offline.

Tony Lin 10/19/2025

[Dan Druff]

This looks like an AI-generated apology to me. I ran it through an AI detector, and one of them said it was 44% created by AI, 56% written by humans. That's not a probability, that's the amount it claimed was created by AI.

Unfortunately, this looks more of a case where someone who got caught decided to "make it right" at that point -- because they had more to lose by NOT making it right. Ren Lin is one of the best known and most popular Chinese players, and is one of GGPoker's ambassadors. He can't just keep quiet or tell people to mind their own business.

Is the apology actually sincere? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm not impressed. It's not like he did this when confronted by that "Buzzcut" guy (though he did apologize to him at the time). He only made things right once GG banned him from the WSOP circuit event.

[ReformDorm]

This looks like an AI-generated apology to me. I ran it through an AI detector, and one of them said it was 44% created by AI, 56% written by humans. That's not a probability, that's the amount it claimed was created by AI.

Unfortunately, this looks more of a case where someone who got caught decided to "make it right" at that point -- because they had more to lose by NOT making it right. Ren Lin is one of the best known and most popular Chinese players, and is one of GGPoker's ambassadors. He can't just keep quiet or tell people to mind their own business.

Is the apology actually sincere? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm not impressed. It's not like he did this when confronted by that "Buzzcut" guy (though he did apologize to him at the time). He only made things right once GG banned him from the WSOP circuit event.

The kicker was Negreanu defending him tweeting he is a likeable guy lol. Who gives a shit if he is likeable, it's obvious to me and lots of others that Ren Lin has been cheating for a long time and only now just got caught. He should be banned from tournaments like Ali and Jake. Have to have a zero tolerance when it comes to cheating.

[Dan Druff]

Weird resolution by GG, if you can call it that.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/GGPoker/status/1980695454326354293


Here's the statement below. Bolding is theirs, not mine.

----


Official Statement: GGPoker’s Response to GGMillion$ Tournament Integrity Breach


What Happened

During the GGMillion$ final table on October 14, 2025, player RealOA actively solicited unauthorized real-time strategic advice from multiple individuals. Among those he contacted was professional player Ren “Tony” Lin, who responded to RealOA’s requests by providing coaching.

RealOA intentionally sought advice to gain an advantage over his opponent in violation of the rules at GGPoker. Lin, who acted as a coach, has acknowledged his mistake and demonstrated accountability for his role in this incident.


Statement from Ren “Tony” Lin

Following the incident, Ren “Tony” Lin was disqualified from the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event and issued the following statement:

<redacted -- already posted above in this thread>




Actions Taken

RealOA: Permanently banned from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.

Ren “Tony” Lin: Indefinitely suspended from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.

Restitution: GGPoker reclaimed all the funds remaining in RealOA’s account, $250,523. While $96,380 short, Lin voluntarily contributed the remaining amount from personal funds to cover the shortfall. Lin’s contribution was made from his own money and was not related to any staking or compensation from the final table. It was his personal commitment to restoring fair play.



Our Message to the Poker Community

This case demonstrates three principles:

We will prevent and detect violations. Our monitoring system and hand analysis identify suspicious activity.

Consequences are immediate. Any result from the GGPoker investigation will extend across GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms worldwide.

Players are protected. When integrity is compromised, we ensure that financial restitution is made to those affected.

Real-time assistance through private communication channels remains challenging to prevent, but GGPoker’s detection and investigation capabilities will continuously improve. Competitive poker depends on trust and equal conditions. We will not allow anyone to undermine that foundation.


Case Summary:

- Incident: October 14, 2025, GGMillion$ Final Table
- Violation: Unauthorized real-time coaching during tournament play
- RealOA: Permanently banned. $250,523 returned.
- Ren “Tony” Lin: Indefinitely suspended. $96,380 contribution
- Player Restitution: $346,903 redistributed per GGPoker’s refund policy

[Dan Druff]

Weird statement, to say the least.

They're suspending Ren "indefinitely" from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms, while RealOA is permanently banned.



What does "indefinite suspension" mean? That's the whole point. It means nothing. It leaves the door open for him to be unsuspended at any time.

And what about Ren's ambassador status on GG? That wasn't addressed at all in their statement, though I did notice he's been removed from their GGTeam page for the time being.


Here's my theory:

They like Ren, and don't want to get rid of him. However, at the same time, they have to make a strong statement against cheating. The only way they can do both is to "suspend" Ren for some token amount of time, and then fully restore him (both as a player and ambassador) when it's convenient to do so.

Fortunately for GG, we are still 7 months away from WSOP (which, remember, they now own). This gives plenty of time for Ren to serve his "suspension", yet still be present for the biggest tournament series in the world.

The fact that they haven't completely removed his ambassadorship (which you'd expect if they were actually angry about this) speaks volumes. Nobody except GG and Ren would care about his ambassador status, so it's not like people would complain if he were fired from that. Since he hasn't been outright fired (and in fact they don't address it at all), it's clear they're going to bring him back as ambassador soon enough.

In short, Ren is basically in "timeout".

GG probably feels like they've found the perfect solution. They banned the no-name Chinese guy who asked for help during the final table, they confiscated what money he had left and redistributed it, and then Ren donated the remainder (which I'm assuming might have actually come from GG). Then they suspended Ren, so it appears he's being punished for this. He's banned from WSOP, but that's not a huge punishment unless he misses the summer series.

In fact, if this dies down fast enough, I could even see them unbanning him in time for the Bahamas event in December, but I'm guessing they'll leave him home for that.



What is my opinion here?

There are a lot of people defending Ren as a "nice guy", such as Negreanu and Patrick Leonard.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/padspoker/status/1980753084918944138

Ren will be sorely missed from wsop events, if you polled 200 highest volume players I’d imagine he is top 3 most popular players. He is the PERFECT ambassador. Contributing the money also shows his remorse. This case only gets found out if they post it themselves. Good job with quick investigation and being firm and strong. Still feel kinda sad/off about it.

Whether Ren is a confrontational asshole or a jovial, lighthearted guy is immaterial here. We aren't discussing whether he'd be a fun guy to have a beer with.

The question is what kind of penalty he should get for being complicit in this type of cheating.

That's not obvious, which is why there's a lot of debate about this on X right now.



REASONS TO GO LIGHT ON REN:

- This is the first known instance of Ren being involved in any cheating scandal

- He did not cheat himself, but rather provided real time advice to a friend at a final table

- Many others are not banned from GG or WSOP who have done much worse

- He apologized and contributed $96k to make it right for those affected



REASONS TO THROW THE BOOK AT REN:

- He is an experienced pro who knew what he was doing was cheating

- He did it on GGPoker, a site he represents as an ambassador

- He only offered to make it right after being shamed on X. When first privately confronted, he apologized but dismissed it as no big deal.

- It was only caught because one of the victims happened to be in the same chat, unbeknownst to him. It's unlikely this is the only time he's done it.



My opinion?

This isn't nearly as serious as what was happening with Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler, nor is it anywhere as bad as what happened with Bryn Kenney. This also isn't as bad as being caught using RTA, because it appears Ren was more of a "human RTA" for a friend, whereas RTA is a constant helper for the person using it. This seems like more of a one-time (or more likely occasional) unethical action.

At the same time, for a GG ambassador to do this on GGPoker is really bad, even if he was the advice giver and not the advice seeker. He definitely knew it was cheating, and didn't care.

GGPoker should definitely fire him as ambassador, and probably ban him from the site. However, they should allow him to continue to play WSOP and other "partner events", unless he is caught being involved in other shady behavior in the future.

That's the approach I would take if I were the GGPoker owner.

[ReformDorm]

Weird statement, to say the least.

They're suspending Ren "indefinitely" from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms, while RealOA is permanently banned.



What does "indefinite suspension" mean? That's the whole point. It means nothing. It leaves the door open for him to be unsuspended at any time.

And what about Ren's ambassador status on GG? That wasn't addressed at all in their statement, though I did notice he's been removed from their GGTeam page for the time being.


Here's my theory:

They like Ren, and don't want to get rid of him. However, at the same time, they have to make a strong statement against cheating. The only way they can do both is to "suspend" Ren for some token amount of time, and then fully restore him (both as a player and ambassador) when it's convenient to do so.

Fortunately for GG, we are still 7 months away from WSOP (which, remember, they now own). This gives plenty of time for Ren to serve his "suspension", yet still be present for the biggest tournament series in the world.

The fact that they haven't completely removed his ambassadorship (which you'd expect if they were actually angry about this) speaks volumes. Nobody except GG and Ren would care about his ambassador status, so it's not like people would complain if he were fired from that. Since he hasn't been outright fired (and in fact they don't address it at all), it's clear they're going to bring him back as ambassador soon enough.

In short, Ren is basically in "timeout".

GG probably feels like they've found the perfect solution. They banned the no-name Chinese guy who asked for help during the final table, they confiscated what money he had left and redistributed it, and then Ren donated the remainder (which I'm assuming might have actually come from GG). Then they suspended Ren, so it appears he's being punished for this. He's banned from WSOP, but that's not a huge punishment unless he misses the summer series.

In fact, if this dies down fast enough, I could even see them unbanning him in time for the Bahamas event in December, but I'm guessing they'll leave him home for that.



What is my opinion here?

There are a lot of people defending Ren as a "nice guy", such as Negreanu and Patrick Leonard.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/padspoker/status/1980753084918944138

Ren will be sorely missed from wsop events, if you polled 200 highest volume players I’d imagine he is top 3 most popular players. He is the PERFECT ambassador. Contributing the money also shows his remorse. This case only gets found out if they post it themselves. Good job with quick investigation and being firm and strong. Still feel kinda sad/off about it.

Whether Ren is a confrontational asshole or a jovial, lighthearted guy is immaterial here. We aren't discussing whether he'd be a fun guy to have a beer with.

The question is what kind of penalty he should get for being complicit in this type of cheating.

That's not obvious, which is why there's a lot of debate about this on X right now.



REASONS TO GO LIGHT ON REN:

- This is the first known instance of Ren being involved in any cheating scandal

- He did not cheat himself, but rather provided real time advice to a friend at a final table

- Many others are not banned from GG or WSOP who have done much worse

- He apologized and contributed $96k to make it right for those affected



REASONS TO THROW THE BOOK AT REN:

- He is an experienced pro who knew what he was doing was cheating

- He did it on GGPoker, a site he represents as an ambassador

- He only offered to make it right after being shamed on X. When first privately confronted, he apologized but dismissed it as no big deal.

- It was only caught because one of the victims happened to be in the same chat, unbeknownst to him. It's unlikely this is the only time he's done it.



My opinion?

This isn't nearly as serious as what was happening with Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler, nor is it anywhere as bad as what happened with Bryn Kenney. This also isn't as bad as being caught using RTA, because it appears Ren was more of a "human RTA" for a friend, whereas RTA is a constant helper for the person using it. This seems like more of a one-time (or more likely occasional) unethical action.

At the same time, for a GG ambassador to do this on GGPoker is really bad, even if he was the advice giver and not the advice seeker. He definitely knew it was cheating, and didn't care.

GGPoker should definitely fire him as ambassador, and probably ban him from the site. However, they should allow him to continue to play WSOP and other "partner events", unless he is caught being involved in other shady behavior in the future.

That's the approach I would take if I were the GGPoker owner.

I think Ren definitely will be banned this upcoming WSOP. No way GG can allow him to play the series in 2026 and still have any credibility left at all. My guess is(and I think GG already told Ren this on the down low) that he will not be allowed to play the 2026 WSOP but as long as there isn't more controversy with him, they will allow him to start playing the WSOP in 2027.

I mean, how bad a look would it be to put out that long statement which includes the "indefinite ban" part and then not even hold to it for 1 WSOP series. GG would be crucified. Just my 2 cents. I'd be shocked if Ren is allowed to participate in the 2026 WSOP.

[Dan Druff]

I read your comment on radio and answered it, but I'll answer it here as well, for those who don't listen to radio.

I actually think there's a good chance he will be unbanned before 2026 WSOP, unless additional incriminating info comes out.

If you look at what GGPoker DIDN'T say in their statement, two things are clear:

1) They do not touch the subject of his ambassadorship. This means they are going to retain him as ambassador.

2) They will not set a minimum length of time for his suspension. This means they are open to ending it after a relatively short time. Otherwise, they could have written something like, "He is suspended indefinitely, and for a period no shorter than 1 year". They did not say this, so clearly they want full flexibility to undo this suspension whenever they feel like it.

If WSOP were 3 months away, I'd agree it would be unlikely to see him there. However, since over 7 months will pass between the suspension and the first WSOP event, they can unsuspend him by 2026 WSOP and still stick by the claim that he served a lengthy suspension. They can even point to events like WSOP Paradise that he was forced to miss, as well as other tournaments (such as circuit events) he would have played under their GG banner.

This isn't like unsuspending a really hated cheater such as Ali Imsirovic. The feelings about Ren are mixed right now, and many are reading this as a WSOP suspension and complaining it's too harsh. I don't think there will be much outrage if we see him playing WSOP events in late May.

[Ryback_feed_me_more]

Ren Lin is a successful high stakes poker pro from China. He has $16m in Hendon Mob cashes.

Many where shocked when Lin was banned before Day 2 at the WSOP Circuit $5300 Main Event in Cyprus.

Lin was not accused of any wrongdoing in that tournament, or in any other tournament in the Cyprus series. Instead, he was accused of giving a friend strategy advice during the final table of a GGPoker online event on October 14.

It was found that player "RealOA", who won that online event, had been sending screen shots to a chat with Ren and other poker pros, asking for real-time advice during the final table. Ren was one of the people supplying advice to RealOA. This sort of behavior is strictly against the terms of service on GGPoker, though it's not as bad as actual multi-accounting or ghosting.

One of the other players at the final table named "Buzzcut" also happened to be a member of that chat, so he screen shotted everything and reported it to GG. After winning the event, RealOA thanked Lin in the chat "for the coaching". Upon Lin learning that Buzzcut was witness to all of this, he apologized, which Buzzcut also sent to GG as more proof that Lin had substantially helped RealOA win.


The response to Lin's ban from the circuit event was mixed, but more negative than positive. Most people felt that banning him in the middle of an unrelated event was a step too far. I agree.

While I don't feel sorry for Lin, as there's way too much ghosting and coaching going on during these online final tables, it's horrible practice to ban people from unrelated events AFTER taking their money and allowing them to play. Had they banned Lin at the time of registration -- by simply refunding his money and sending him away -- I would be fine with that, and in fact would have been cheering it. They should not disqualify players CURRENTLY in a tournament, unless the player is credibly accused of cheating in that tournament or in another one in that same series.

I'm sure GGPoker would argue that this ban occurred just 4 days after his antics during GGPoker's online event, and since they run the series for both venues, this was timely and appropriate. But I still disagree. Once they let him register and play, he should be allowed to finish off that tournament, and then they can ban him after that.

Otherwise this could be used to freeroll against players that a tournament organizer doesn't like -- letting them register and pay, and then banning them if they seem to be doing well or running deep.


Here's a pretty good Pokernews article about the situation: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/...ment-49881.htm

It would seem with GG now owning the WSOP theyre gonna extend the banhammer to anybody they dont like or are offended by. This isnt going to end well. Eventually backlash is going to hit them. The egos at the top of the food chain there have gone full retard. (and I would say KidPoker isnt going to be happy either because hes the one thats gonna get the shit talking at the table over GG's actions deserved or not)