Managing Editor
The selection of controversial pro Ren Lin as a brand ambassador for WPT Global has sparked a social media feud between the poker site’s social media team and their peers at ClubWPT Gold. Although both companies sport World Poker Tour branding, they are not directly affiliated, and there appears to be a difference of opinion on how Lin should be treated in the wake of his confession, apology, and dismissal as an ambassador for GGPoker.
Lin lost his role with GGPoker and received a short-lived ban from GGPoker-sponsored tournaments after admitting to having offered real-time advice to one of his coaching students while the latter was at a GG Million$ final table. It didn’t take long before WPT Global snapped him up.
However, the ClubWPT Gold account on X retweeted WPT Global’s sponorship announcement alongside an image of Lin emblazoned with the word “BANNED,” emphasizing that he is not welcome to play on ClubWPT sites, let alone represent their brand.
WPT Global responded with a tweet defending Lin as a “winning player” and insinuating ClubWPT signs ambassadors based on social media following, not poker skills.
In its original form, the tweet called out Brad Owen and Ethan Yau (aka Rampage Poker) as examples. That tweet was subsequently deleted and replaced by a new version, minus the specific call-outs of Owen and Yau.
PokerScout understands from sources close to the situation that there is genuine disagreement between the brands, although much of what ClubWPT Gold posts could fairly be described as engagement bait. A request for official comment by WPT went unanswered.
Differences Between ClubWPT and WPT Global
Despite the similarity in their names, ClubWPT Gold and WPT Global are entirely separate entities. ClubWPT Gold and its sister site ClubWPT are directly owned and operated by the World Poker Tour and serve American players. These sites don’t use real money, but do pay out cash prizes.
ClubWPT uses a subscription model, allowing players entry to a number of tournaments each month for a flat fee. The “Gold” version began its life as a sweepstakes poker site similar to Global Poker or Clubs Poker. However, it has made a series of pivots in recent months aimed at skirting bans on the dual-currency sweepstakes gambling model. The most significant of these is that it has dropped its non-redeemable play money currency in favor of analysis credits, which players use to get AI assistance in reviewing their hands.
WPT Global, on the other hand, is a global real-money operator licensed in Curaçao, which does not accept US players. It licenses the WPT brand from the World Poker Tour, but is owned and operated by a separate company, Seventip NV.
As of the latter half of 2025, ClubWPT Gold’s social media strategy has depended heavily on provoking reactions, such as a weeks-long debate about sexism over a video of a woman twerking on a poker table, captioned “GTO players took this from us.”
WPT Global isn’t the only recent target of ClubWPT Gold’s trolling. Renewed controversy around Maurice Hawkins has made him the subject of several posts from the account, including an AI-modified image of him in a bikini, and Phenom Poker’s changes to its token redemption policy inspired a (seemingly non-sequitur) dig about Hailey Welch (“Hawk Tuah girl”) becoming an ambassador.
Opinions Remain Divided on Ren Lin
Although the poker community tends to be harsh on accused cheaters, Lin has appeared in headlines on a regular basis since last fall precisely because his case is so borderline.
The student, who goes by RealOA on GGPoker, had his tournament winnings seized. Lin was simultaneously disqualified from the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus live event he was playing in. He subsequently made a public apology and financial restitution to affected GGPoker players, claiming he hadn’t considered the ethical implications of offering advice in the moment.
To some, at least, it makes a difference that Lin never profited personally from what he did. Others don’t fully buy his excuse, although most takes from high-profile members of the poker community acknowledge that the situation is not clear-cut either way. The general consensus seems to be that Lin deserved some sort of punishment, but also a chance to redeem himself eventually.
GGPoker was quick to distance itself from Lin, but an “indefinite” ban from live events turned out to be short-lived. He was back at the tables in December at WSOP Paradise, which even some of his defenders seemed to feel was too quick to be considered a meaningful punishment.
