Poker players usually agree on one thing — cheaters deserve bans. But the case of Ren Lin has divided opinion. We’ve written extensively about what happened, but here are the cliff notes.
Lin, a GGPoker ambassador, was outed for helping another player (‘RealOA’) in real time while he was at the final table of the GGMillion$.
Lin admitted it and apologized, claiming it was a one-time lapse. In a post on X he said, “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.”
In a statement, GGPoker confirmed it had disqualified and banned ‘RealOA’ “permanently from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.”
GGPoker reclaimed all the funds left in the account of ‘RealOA’ and redistributed it to affected players. This was short of the first-place money that ‘RealOA’ won and Lin voluntarily contributed the remaining $96,380 from his own funds. Lin was also “indefinitely suspended from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.”
Many players welcomed the zero tolerance approach from GGPoker. But not all. Here are the best reactions to the news.
Poker players react to Ren Lin ban
Ben 'bencb' Rolle, winner of the 2025 WSOP Online Main Event on GGPoker for $3.9 million, posted a lengthy response — one of the best — that you can read below. He said, “From my own experience, ghosting is a huge issue… Overall, I’m happy with GGPoker’s decision. It’s tough, but it’s necessary. For too long, we’ve let cheaters get away with it.
“And this idea that ‘he’s a nice guy, so he deserves less punishment’? Come on. You know how many criminals seem like nice guys? (Not saying he’s one, just showing how absurd that logic is.) WSOP is GGPoker’s partner. They have every right to exclude whoever they want from their venues and events.
“‘He was just helping a friend.’ ‘He did it out of kindness.’ Really? If you claim ‘90% are doing it,’ then you know exactly what you’re doing.”
Daniel Negreanu, who accepted Lin’s apology earlier in the week, weighed in on the decision: “Pretty strong IMO. While this was what most would describe as a minor infraction, the consequences were firm and severe. Thorough, and didn’t take it lightly.”
PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Faraz Jaka also posted an extensive verdict.
He wrote, “It’s refreshing to see WSOP/GG take immediate, decisive action. Since the acquisition of WSOP, you can tell the brand has really stepped up their game across the board.
“Given he doesn’t have a bad history and he seems like a net positive for poker, a one-year ban with a faster path to appeal afterward feels fair. Let him pay his dues and move forward faster than someone who has a negative history.
“Keep in mind we don’t have the actual results of the investigation. The evidence might be more incriminating than what’s public. Not saying it is, but worth considering.”
'The penalty is too harsh'
Texas Mike didn’t agree. He wrote, “Banning Ren from WSOP is absolutely egregious. Ban him from GGPoker that’s fine. WSOP? He’s hurting no one and makes amateurs like myself at any stakes have a way better time! The guy is EXACTLY what poker needs in a live setting. This has to be reviewed before summer.”
Justin Meng also thought the punishments were too harsh – across the board, He wrote, “The champion posted his winning screenshot in a 500-people group and thanked Lin for helping him, clearly suggesting that he didn't take his own behavior as cheating, as he would've kept it a secret. Both admitted wrong-doing and sought to atone for it by returning the share of prize pool and issuing an apology.
“Personally, the penalty is too harsh, given the circumstances. RealOA should be given a second chance. Otherwise, following the logic, online poker can never really exist because it's IMPOSSIBLE to detect cheats.”
And Patrick 'Pads' Leonard had sympathy for Lin, saying, “Ren will be sorely missed from WSOP events. If you polled 200 highest volume players I’d imagine he is top three most popular players. He is the PERFECT ambassador. Contributing the money also shows his remorse. Good job with quick investigation and being firm and strong. Still feel kinda sad/off about it.”
Debate continues on X
Plenty of other players have weighed in on the debate — check out the best of the rest of the reactions below. What do you think? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.
