17 Jan 2026 Beginner This material is for beginner players Wherever poker player Tony "Ren Lin" goes, controversy seems to follow him. This time, Lin's unexpected appointment as WPT Global's newest ambassador has made headlines. The poker community reacted strongly to the news, with many fans voicing strong opposition to the decision. 🚨 NEW AMBASSADOR 🚨Tony ‘Ren’ Lin joins WPT Global as our newest Ambassador!One of the most accomplished players on the global live circuit, Tony brings over $16 million in live earnings and years of success on poker’s biggest stages.Welcome, Tony! 👏 pic.twitter.com/QvD13HDKjL— WPT Global (@wpt_global) January 12, 2026 What should have been a routine sponsorship announcement has sparked a heated debate among poker fans. A Fresh Deal That Reopened Old Wounds WPT Global announced on January 12 that Ren Lin would be its new brand ambassador. Lin is a well-known pro poker player who has won more than $16 million in live games. There was never a doubt about how talented he is at the tables. However, the news shocked everyone, as Lin had recently been involved in a poker scandal. Lin was found guilty of ghosting at the October 2025 $10,000 GGMillion online final table. Giving your fellow players real-time advice violates the rules of ghosting. Lin was in the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event at the same time. After news about Real Time Coaching became public, GGPoker kicked Lin out of the live event. GGPoker banned Lin indefinitely, and WSOP followed suit by suspending him. In addition, Lin made a personal contribution of $96,380 to partially offset the losses caused by the prize pool redistribution. Many poker players remained disappointed by WPT Global's decision, as the incident was still fresh in their minds. Life After the Ban and a Sudden Comeback Following his ban, Lin didn't receive any communication from the sponsorship space. After seven weeks, he didn't have any sponsor patches when he went to WSOP Paradise. The WPT Global announcement broke that silence. Most poker fans believed that it was too soon to give Lin a second chance. Some people thought it was a sign that poker companies are ready to move on faster than the community is. The timing caught people off guard. It had only been a few months since the poker cheating scandal happened. Many people believed that building trust could not be done within a very short time. Social Media Backlash Takes Over Following the backlash, the World Poker Tour issued a statement to clarify its position. A message that has since been deleted stated that WPT Global is a partner and that the tour does not publicly back ambassador decisions. Many people thought this was an attempt to keep the WPT name separate from the scandal. WPT Global Stands by Its Decision Despite the noise, WPT Global didn't back down. In a statement, the company said that it believes in giving people a second shot and holding them responsible. People in the game room say Lin has admitted he was wrong, agreed to take his punishment, and shown he wants to improve. According to WPT Global, ambassadors are chosen based on results, not on popularity or the number of social media followers. Furthermore, WPT Global stated that Lin would have the opportunity to discuss his side of the story in greater depth later. Many people were unhappy with the WPT Global announcement. However, WPT Global stands by its unpopular decision. Poker Community Reaction and Industry Fallout The poker community has been very critical. Other platforms didn't waste any time taking shots. ClubWPT Gold put up a picture of Lin with the word "BANNED" stamped across it for a short time before deleting it. Prominent voices in the poker space also joined the debate. Thomas Keeling from ClubWPT publicly questioned the decision, and journalist Barry Carter called the whole thing a complete mess. Some players even said that signing the deal was like giving a platform to poker scammers. David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, hosts of the popular Chip Race podcast, took immediate action, cutting ties with WPT Global. The two had only been on the platform for a few months. 📣 ANNOUNCEMENT pic.twitter.com/zPqEdR8yyR— 🎙 The Chip Race 🎙 (@thechiprace) January 13, 2026 They said in a joint statement that they couldn't stay involved because they were extremely upset that the platform signed Lin even after the scandal. Below are a few reactions from the poker community. @VanessaKade: there is no separation in the eyes of the public between @WPT @wpt_global & @ClubWPTGold and everything from these brands has been an embarrassing train wreck the last bit I hope the parent brand cleans house... you used to be synonymous with prestige and integrity. — Vanessa Kade (@VanessaKade) January 12, 2026 @rayzorfold: pic.twitter.com/HdRYReuAtr — Ray Zorfold 🏴☠️ (@rayzorfold) January 12, 2026 @Mikey5Aces: They deleted all the comments from yesterday so I'll repost mine again: This hire sums up there will never be any accountability for people cheating. — Mikey Aces (@Mikey5Aces) January 12, 2026 @teddythepuggie: Didn’t like the replies so you deleted it and reposted? Shady — Teddy (@teddythepuggie) January 12, 2026
