World Series of Poker (WSOP) pro player Tony ‘Ren’ Lin was disqualified over a real-time coaching scandal and has penned a public apology.
The storm centered around a live chat involving a fellow tournament player seeking advice on a hand in a completely different event, leading tournament judges to disqualify the veteran.
This was during the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event, meaning Lin was an active player at the time, but he has since released a public statement apologizing for the incident and the confusion caused.
The moment Tony Lin was escorted from the feature table and then DISQUALIFIED in the middle of Day 2 of the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event.
— WorldpokerdealsCOM (@worldpokerdeals) October 18, 2025
Tony Lin exits WSOP tournament after rules breach
The event was held at the Merit Royal Diamond and was subject to a $5,300 buy-in and a guaranteed prize pot of $5 million.
Whilst competing, Lin was alleged to have interjected into a fellow pro player’s live play in another tournament, the GGMillion$. As part of a live chat, Lin was alleged to have used a link to chat with active players and give comments on prospective hands.
The exchange led to the arbiters of the Merit Royal Diamond and WSOP Tournament Director Andy Tillman stepping in to remove Lin from the competition, and was announced via the tournament’s social media accounts.
Today, before the start of Day 2 of the Main Event, poker player Ren “Lady Gaga” Lin was disqualified by the decision of the WSOP Tournament Director Andy Tillman due to a violation of the Poker Integrity Policy on GGPoker.
His stack was removed from the tournament.
— Merit Poker (@meritpokerlive) October 18, 2025
As we reported, the WSOP had published updated guidance on rules changes and a strict ban on devices ahead of some of the biggest 2025 tournaments.
This included a complete restriction on artificial intelligence (AI) and “human interaction” in a follow-up statement.
Prompted after a controversial win by Jonathan Tamayo as he was coached in real-time by 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen and four-time WSOP event winner Dominik Nitsche, who were photographed using a laptop device to assist their counsel.
Lin responds to the decision
Lin then responded, going into great detail about his actions in light of his participation between two different tournaments; his post was titled as a “public apology.”
— Tony Ren Lin (@tonylin88350321) October 19, 2025
The Chinese GGPoker Ambassador mentions that he accessed a “Tencent link” during a break in play at the Merit Royal Diamond. The link was sent by the player “RealOA”, who would go on to win and snap up $346,903 from the event.
One of the other players in the final tournament, Buzzcut, alleged that Lin gave “real-time” advice to assist RealOA, and as a result, a breach of the tournament rules and an unfair advantage. Buzzcut also stated that in a shared text chat, RealAO thanked Lin for the coaching.
As part of his statement, Lin said, “After my own tournament ended, I reflected deeply: if I were playing online and discovered my opponent had a friend offering advice, wouldn’t that be cheating? The moment I grasped the severity of the situation, I immediately contacted Buzzcut to apologize and explain the circumstances,”
In the wake of the turmoil around both tournaments, RealOA returned the majority of the prize and Lin said he would cover the remainder.
“I am deeply ashamed and remorseful for failing to live up to the standards I advocate. I am prepared to accept all penalties and will make every effort to compensate the players affected in this event,” Lin concluded.
Featured image: PokerGo via YouTube
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