23 Oct 2025 After discovering real-time coaching (RTA) at the GGMillion$ final table on October 14, GGPoker penalized Ambassador Ren "Tony" Lin and player "RealOA." High-profile players, such as Adrian Mateos and Kelvin Kerber, received refunds for their buy-ins from the $10,300 buy-in event, which had a $346,903 top prize, under GGPoker's refund policy. Player "RealOA" from China has been permanently banned from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner sites, and their winnings have been confiscated. Lin has been banned indefinitely after admitting his role and apologizing in public. GGPoker stated that $250,523 was taken from RealOA's wallet out of the total $346,903, and Lin personally provided $96,380 to ensure that all the funds would be reimbursed in full. Lin said he "derived no benefit whatsoever" from the situation and had "no stake in any player's entry." What Happened at the GGMillion$ Final Table The scandal occurred just a few weeks after GGPoker launched the Olive Branch Initiative, a program designed to give players who had been banned a second chance. A player named "Buzzcut" (@yl333i on X) reported that Lin had given "RealOA" live strategy advice during the October 14 GGMillion$ final table, which made things even worse. About the 10K FT I just played, decided to go public about the unfair play: https://t.co/M15m8KNRt3 @GGPoker #GGPoker #GGMillions— yl3i (@yl333i) October 17, 2025 Screenshots and chat logs going around the internet show Lin admitting his involvement and expressing regret for helping people in the game. After finishing in third place and winning $213,273, Buzzcut claimed that "RealOA" shared his screen with Lin and others at the final table to get real-time coaching tips. Lin is alleged to have told him that this kind of behavior was "quite common," but he promised not to do it again. Lin’s Apology and Explanation During a break at the WSOP Circuit Cyprus event, Lin joined a Tencent Meeting call and found his friend "RealOA" playing online. He wrote about this in his public post on X. Lin indicated that he "instinctively" replied when asked for hand advice, not realizing that it was a major breach of ethics. Lin said he thought the conversation would be about post-session analysis, not assisting in the game. “I was wrong. I wouldn’t approve of anyone doing this to me at a final table,” Lin wrote. “I’m deeply ashamed and fully accept all penalties.” In addition, Lin said he would "set a better example going forward," acknowledging that he had not lived up to the expectations of his position as an ambassador. https://t.co/xGOJP4OPSL— Tony Ren Lin (@tonylin88350321) October 19, 2025 GGPoker Reaffirms Its Integrity Policy GGPoker shared a statement called “Our Message to the Poker Community,” where they explained the principles that are shaping their response: Prevention and Detection: GGPoker's tracking tools analyze past hands and player behavior to identify any unusual patterns. The sanctions have immediate consequences for all WSOP and partner sites, not just GGPoker. Player Protection: If integrity is compromised, the players impacted will receive their refunds as needed. The operator admitted that it's still challenging to police real-time assistance through private conversations, but they reassured players that new methods of detecting cheaters are continually being developed. “Competitive poker depends on trust and equal conditions. We will not allow anyone to undermine that foundation,” the statement read. According to poker media reports, both "RealOA" and Lin have been banned from participating in any WSOP live games, even the forthcoming World Series of Poker Paradise (WSOPP). Following GGPoker's $500 million purchase of the WSOP in 2024, Integrity Ambassador Fedor Holz has made it clear that RTA violations will not be tolerated and those who do so "will be banned from all WSOP events." A breach of integrity occurred during the GGMillion$ final table on October 14, 2025. We’ve completed our investigation and taken decisive action.Read full statement 👇https://t.co/VsBvWBPPFX— GGPoker (@GGPoker) October 21, 2025 Poker Community Reacts The poker world quickly lit up with reactions ranging from disappointment to disbelief. On X, hundreds of players weighed in: @nopnopn43047222: Damn, I was rooting for RealOA on that table and stream.— nopnopnop (@nopnopn43047222) October 21, 2025 @justinmeng: The whole thing is so baffling. The champion and Ren Lin only got punished after the 3rd place finisher decided to take it public. The champion posted his winning screenshot in a 500-peple group and thanked Lin for helping him, clearly suggesting that he didn't take his own…— Justin Q. Meng 🇨🇦 孟庆伟英文写作 (@justinqmeng) October 22, 2025 @yanforfreedom: Online Poker is finished any good hacker can cheat in 2025— Yan (@Yanforfreedom) October 22, 2025 @ImAllInNow: What an incredibly stupid mistake for them to make. I appreciate the swiftness and severity of the penalty as there should really be no tolerance for cheating, but man, what an amazingly bad decision for them to take that video call.— Rob Tanniru (@ImAllInNow) October 22, 2025 @Cript0Caballero: Of all the people you could have banned, you banned the best ambassador for the game.— cript0caballero (@Cript0Caballero) October 21, 2025 @ZubicNemanja: RealOA: Permanently banned from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.👏👏👏 fuck the cheaters— Nemanja Zubic (@ZubicNemanja) October 21, 2025 @RandyDorfman: You got to be a fucking moron to play poker online for real money. Cheating is rampant online now especially with Russian and Eastern Euro players— RANDYDORFMAN (@RandyDorfman) October 22, 2025 Some poker fans claimed that GGPoker was acting hypocritically and pretending to have good morals. Still, others argued that the platform was outstanding for acting quickly and decisively to protect its ethics. A Costly Lesson for GGPoker and the Community Dealing with real-time assistance in online poker remains challenging, as the controversy illustrates. Private calls and screen sharing remain difficult to monitor, even with advanced tracking systems in place. Lin was once considered an exemplary ambassador who connected the Asian poker scene to the rest of the world. His ban is a big fall from favor. Players should remember that ethics are just as important as skill in today's poker world. As GGPoker steps up its commitment to fair play, one thing is clear: the community is paying close attention. Rebuilding trust after a breach is a challenging task.
