WPT Global Signs Tony “Ren” Lin as Poker Ambassador

Phil Ivey. Fintan Hand. Pete Chen. Now add Tony “Ren” Lin as a WPT Global Ambassador.

With over $16 million in career earnings, Lin sits third on the Chinese all-time money list and joins the site after more recently serving as a GGPoker ambassador.

However, the site is already facing questions after signing an admitted poker cheat, with Lin serving a suspension from poker in the latter portion of 2025.

WPT Global Defends Signing Amidst Lin Controversy

In late 2025, Lin was disqualified from the World Series of Poker Super Circuit Main Event in Cyprus for using prohibited real-time assistance (RTA). The incident led to several bans, with Lin “indefinitely suspended” from both GGPoker and WSOP events as a result.

Daniel Negreanu defended Lin, suggesting his actions were a lapse in judgment rather than a calculated attempt to cheat, but it appeared that Lin lost his GGPoker sponsorship as a result of this incident.

Despite this, Lin returned to the professional circuit at the WSOP Paradise just seven weeks later, sparking further debate over the consistency of poker’s disciplinary actions.

“We select ambassadors based on proven performance and results, not follower counts”

WPT Global defended the signing of Lin, posting on social media that they thoroughly review every ambassador they work with, and that they have “full confidence” in Lin’s integrity and standards.

“We select ambassadors based on proven performance and results, not follower counts,” they said. “Others may prioritize “influence”. We stand apart. We’ll be working with Tony to share more of his side of the story soon.”

In a separate post, the World Poker Tour officially distanced itself from the signing.

“WPT Global is a licensee of the World Poker Tour,” the post said. “We do not officially endorse any of their ambassadors.”

Who is Ren Lin?

Lin rose to prominence in 2022 during a deep run in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, where his infectious personality caught the industry’s attention. He soon established a reputation as one of poker’s most charismatic and entertaining figures.

In 2023, Lin defeated PokerStars Ambassador Jason Koon to win the $50,000 WPT Alpha8 in Las Vegas for $1,045,781. The following year, he finished 112th in the WSOP Main Event and narrowly missed out on a maiden bracelet after finishing runner-up in the 2024 WSOP Paradise Mystery Millions Online.

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor.

He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.