Editor
If you opened the Asian version of the WPT Global app over the last week, you might have been welcomed by the face of poker pro Xuan Liu. The only issue? Liu is no longer an ambassador for the company.
Liu posted an Instagram Reel earlier today in which she alleges that she asked for the image to be removed. She said WPT Global has lagged in actually getting it removed from the app. She called it “very misleading” and mentioned concern about being in breach of contract with her other partners.
It’s been a busy week for WPT Global as the company received considerable criticism for its decision to sign its newest ambassador, Ren ‘Tony’ Lin, after getting banned from GGPoker for providing real-time coaching at a final table last year.
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Liu: ‘This is Very Not Cool’
According to Liu, the image was drawn to her attention by a friend earlier this year. The image features current WPT Global ambassadors Phil Ivey, Lin, Pete Chen, and Xue ‘DinTer’ Hong-Wei.
Liu said she immediately reached out to WPT Global, but the image remained on the app for several days. Finally, a representative for the company apologized but stated that the issue might take several weeks to resolve.
Liu posted the Reel with the following caption, seemingly asking for legal advice:
What should I do, forgive and forget?
I wonder if a friend hadn’t drawn my attention to it, and if I hadn’t reached out to them immediately, how long it would have stayed up for?
You’re telling me that not a single person, upon testing the app and its initial launch, realized I was no longer with the team and said, ‘Hey, maybe this is wrong.’
#igaming #poker #legaladvice
Liu would go on to say that she asked if she could be compensated for her image usage, but was told the issue had been rectified. Despite that, the image remains visible for some users, and it might take some time before it’s completely removed from the app.
“We’ve done a lot of contract negotiations, and this is just not allowed, especially for a company of your size,” she said.
Liu said she had a good relationship with the company before leaving, but that appears to have deteriorated.
“It’s leaving a little bad taste in my mouth,” she said. “I’m not going to lie. I wish them all the best, but this is very not cool.”
Liu Thinks Ren Lin Will Be a ‘Fantastic’ Ambassador
It’s worth noting that, while Liu is critical of WPT Global over the image, she actually supports the signing of Lin.
She started her video by showing support for the controversial poker pro.
“…congrats, Tony [Lin]. I’m sure you’ll make a fantastic ambassador for WPT Global.”
Back in the fall, Lin lost his sponsorship deal with GGPoker after news broke that he provided real-time advice to one of his coaching students in a tournament on the site.
Lin apologized for the incident, but still received a large amount of criticism in the poker world. It didn’t take long for WPT Global to sign Lin in the wake of his dismissal from GGPoker. It was a controversial signing, to say the least.
In a bizarre turn of events, the ClubWPT Gold brand was surprisingly critical of Lin on social media. WPT and WPT Global are not directly affiliated, but it’s still a strange look for the overall brand as the two social media accounts appeared to be feuding.
Furthermore, Chip Race podcast hosts David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney decided to end their partnership with WPT Global over the signing of Lin.
