GGPoker’s Response to GGMillion$ Tournament Integrity Breach

What Happened

During the GGMillion$ final table on October 14, 2025, player RealOA actively solicited unauthorized real-time strategic advice from multiple individuals. Among those he contacted was professional player Ren “Tony” Lin, who responded to RealOA’s requests by providing coaching.

RealOA intentionally sought advice to gain an advantage over his opponent in violation of the rules at GGPoker. Lin, who acted as a coach, has acknowledged his mistake and demonstrated accountability for his role in this incident.

Case Summary:

Incident: October 14, 2025, GGMillion$ Final Table
Violation: Unauthorized real-time coaching during tournament play
RealOA: Permanently banned. $250,523 returned.
Ren “Tony” Lin: Indefinitely suspended. $96,380 contribution
Player Restitution: $346,903 redistributed per GGPoker’s refund policy

Source and full article here:

A good and consequent reaction of the poker room I guess

bapfel said:

A good and consequent reaction of the poker room I guess

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Yeah watched it live, was an unknown player who qualified with a satelite ticket. So rookie mistake or deliberate?

Crazy when these things happen.

I think its harsh, we do want to see punishment for this kind of thing but I would think some kind of suspension for both would have been enough

What we are saying is that the rules are no chatting to mates about hands at any time during playing at GG poker?

Can many of us here say that we have never been playing poker in all the years of playing and received advice about a hand we played while still at the table!! Now OK, if this is against terms I get it, but its hard to equate me and a mate chatting about our hobby, while playing, and the top end playing a massive FT!!

Surely this goes on all the time, and it seems to only have come to light as 2 of the players were in some kind of poker coaching community run by Tony Lin. If that quirk didn't happen, no one would be any wiser

So the player withdrew 96k before GG took the rest?

SpanRmonka said:

What we are saying is that the rules are no chatting to mates about hands at any time during playing at GG poker?

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YES! It's cheating! It puts other players at a disadvantage.

SpanRmonka said:

Can many of us here say that we have never been playing poker in all the years of playing and received advice about a hand we played while still at the table!! Now OK, if this is against terms I get it, but its hard to equate me and a mate chatting about our hobby, while playing, and the top end playing a massive FT!!

Surely this goes on all the time, and it seems to only have come to light as 2 of the players were in some kind of poker coaching community run by Tony Lin. If that quirk didn't happen, no one would be any wiser

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It should never go on. It is against the rules!!! And obviously players who are playing in the Biggest Weekly Online NLHE Tournament in the WORLD, 100% know this! (I don't go for Lin's excuses... 'down in the past and automatically wants to hand others the umbrella... and help them up')

Fortunately the operators at GG feel the same. This is a HIGH STAKES player who is also REPRESENTING the site! What kind of a look is that for GGPoker????????????

fwiw, I have NEVER received advice on how to possibly play a hand while playing online poker (& imo doing so on a big Final Table would be the worst spot to do this).

And aren't we fortunate that this was revealed.

Anything that deters others from cheating is a good thing imo. Cheating will ruin the game. It is scummy and it sucks!

Not much different than the Tamayo scandal.

puzzlefish said:

Not much different than the Tamayo scandal.

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I think it's a lot different. This was one hand...online. Tamayo was in front of a live audience and the wsop saw the whole thing and did nothing

moots said:

I think it's a lot different. This was one hand...online. Tamayo was in front of a live audience and the WSOP saw the whole thing and did nothing

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Yes you are right. There are obvious differences. Similarity on the RTA in the form of coaching applied to a live (as in an ongoing rather than a finished) poker event.

moots said:

So the player withdrew 96k before GG took the rest

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perhaps the prize range before FT?

Poker Orifice said:

YES! It's cheating! It puts other players at a disadvantage.


It should never go on. It is against the rules!!! And obviously players who are playing in the Biggest Weekly Online NLHE Tournament in the WORLD, 100% know this! (I don't go for Lin's excuses... 'down in the past and automatically wants to hand others the umbrella... and help them up')

Fortunately the operators at GG feel the same. This is a HIGH STAKES player who is also REPRESENTING the site! What kind of a look is that for GGPoker????????????

fwiw, I have NEVER received advice on how to possibly play a hand while playing online poker (& imo doing so on a big Final Table would be the worst spot to do this).

And aren't we fortunate that this was revealed.

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I don't

Poker Orifice said:

YES! It's cheating! It puts other players at a disadvantage.


It should never go on. It is against the rules!!! And obviously players who are playing in the Biggest Weekly Online NLHE Tournament in the WORLD, 100% know this! (I don't go for Lin's excuses... 'down in the past and automatically wants to hand others the umbrella... and help them up')

Fortunately the operators at GG feel the same. This is a HIGH STAKES player who is also REPRESENTING the site! What kind of a look is that for GGPoker????????????

fwiw, I have NEVER received advice on how to possibly play a hand while playing online poker (& imo doing so on a big Final Table would be the worst spot to do this).

And aren't we fortunate that this was revealed.

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To be clear its not something that I condone either, I suppose I'm just being realistic, and yes, thinking about it again, these higher end stakes players must know more about the rules, and what is going to be acceptable! I totally agree its very very good that they have been caught and something is done!! I didn't realise he was some kind of represenative of GG either, and so in that case, I can see why they have gone big punishment wise.

Apart from anything, its highlighting rules that are maybe difficult to enforce over the general population, or maybe just not massively thought about.

I'm not talking about advice during a hand, more just after a hand and I'm still playing, this seems to be what happened here if I understand it right? Assuming we take the guys word for what happened, which maybe we shouldn't!

I don't think theres any doubt that any outside advice during an actual hand in play in cheating. But again, I'm sure this goes on a lot, especially if players are living together??