Ambassador Ren Lin Indefinitely Banned from GGPoker

Ambassador Ren “Tony” Lin and a player using the “RealOA” alias have been sanctioned by GGPoker following an investigation into a real-time coaching scandal that occurred during the GGMillion$ final table on October 14.

The $10,300 buy-in event awarded a first-place prize of $346,903, which has since been redistributed to affected players such as Adrian Mateos and Kelvin Kerber in accordance with GGPoker’s refund policy.

China-based player “RealOA” has been permanently banned from GGPoker, WSOP, and all associated partner platforms, with their winnings confiscated. Lin, who issued an apology for his involvement, has been indefinitely suspended from the same platforms.

Not all of the confiscated funds came directly from “RealOA.” Of the $346,903 total, $250,523 was seized from the player’s online wallet, while Lin personally contributed the remaining $96,380. In his public apology, Lin stressed that he gained “no form of profit from this incident,” clarifying that he “held no stake in any player’s entry, received no payment, and derived no benefit whatsoever.”

What Happened?

The incident came just a few weeks after the site announced its Olive Branch Initiative, which gives previously banned online poker players a chance at redemption.

News of Lin’s suspension first surfaced after his stack was removed from a live event. He was disqualified from the World Series of Poker Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event before taking his seat for Day 2 after being informed he had violated GGPoker’s Poker Integrity Policy.

Further light was shed by a GGPoker player known as “Buzzcut” (@yl333i on X), who alleged that the October 14 final table was compromised after “RealOA” received real-time coaching from Lin.

Buzzcut, who finished third for $213,273, claimed that “RealOA” shared his screen during the final table and received live strategic advice from Lin and others. Screenshots and chat logs later circulated showing Lin apologizing and acknowledging he had provided real-time assistance. In private messages, Lin reportedly told Buzzcut that such behavior was “quite common and normal” but vowed never to do it again.

In the aftermath, Lin publicly apologized on X, and explained that he joined a Tencent Meeting call during a break at the WSOP Circuit in Cyprus, where he discovered his friend “RealOA” playing a major online final table. When asked for advice on a hand, Lin said he “instinctively” offered input without realizing it constituted a rule violation.

Lin acknowledged that he misunderstood the situation, mistaking it for a post-session discussion rather than in-game coaching. He later reflected that he “wouldn’t approve” of opponents doing the same and pledged to set a better example.

Lin said he was “deeply ashamed and remorseful” and “prepared to accept all penalties.”

GGPoker’s Message to the Poker Community

In a statement titled Our Message to the Poker Community, GGPoker reaffirmed its commitment to integrity and player protection.

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.

The statement also added that “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.”

PokerNews understands that both “RealOA” and Lin have been banned from WSOP live events, meaning that, as it stands, neither player would be permitted to participate in the upcoming World Series of Poker Paradise (WSOPP).

The WSOP was purchased by GGPoker for $500 million in 2024, and Integrity Ambassador Fedor Holz has previously stated that online poker cheaters using RTA on the platform “will” face bans from WSOP events.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).