Controversial Tony "Ren" Lin Clinches Two APT Jeju Classic Titles in As Many Days
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The massive Asian Poker Tour (APT) Jeju Classic 2026 only kicked off at the LES A Casino inside the luxurious Jeju Shinhwa World resort on January 30, but there have already been some big winners. Controversial Chinese pro Tony "Ren" Lin has won big not once but twice, doing so in the space of a couple of days.
Lin hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons in October 2025 after he was disqualified from the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event before the start of Day 2. WSOP Tournament Director Andy Tillman informed Lin that he was disqualified after news broke that Lin had provided real-time assistance to a player who went on to win the $10,300 GGMillion$ online event at GGPoker, the WSOP's owners.
The charismatic Chinese star issued an apology and promised never to give real-time advice to others again. His apology was not enough to save his position as a GGPoker ambassador.
Despite his disqualification in October 2025, Lin appeared at the WSOP Paradise festival less than two months later. He cashed in three events, including the $125,000 Triton 7-Handed event and the $25,000 Super Main Event, much to the dismay of the poker community. A month later, WPT Global signed Lin as an ambassador, ultimately resulting in Dara O'Kearney and David Lappin, hosts of the award-winning The Chip Race podcast, quitting WPT Global only seven months after the online poker giant started sponsoring the show.
Lin Lets His Poker Do the Talking
Lin was one of 115 entries in the APT Jeju Classic 2026 Super High Roller, a tournament that saw a KRW 1,589,587,500 ($1,103,880) prize pool created, the largest-ever APT-run Super High Roller ever held in Korea.
Having navigated his way to the final table, Lin found himself down to a meagre two big blinds with only three players remaining, and a third-place finish looked on the cards. However, the Poker Gods move in mysterious ways, and after doubling with queen-jack against the five-trey of Quang Dinh Do, Lin began rebuilding his nano-stack. Twelve hands later, Lin was a narrow chip leader.
Lin eliminated Do when Do flopped middle set only to discover Lin had flopped a straight. Four hands later, Lin check-raised the flop, bet the turn, and shoved the river with the board reading eight-five-eight-four-ace. Do couldn't fold his seven-five, which were crushed by Lin's king-eight.
Speaking to Somuchpoker after his victory, Lin said, "My life has gone through a lot of highs and lows. I've hit rock bottom many times, but I bounce back quickly. No matter how difficult things feel, I sleep on it, and the next day I'm full of positive energy again."
APT Jeju Classic 2026 Super High Roller Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (KRW) | Approx. Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ren Lin | China | 396,317,500 | $275,220 |
| 2 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 267,780,000 | $185,960 |
| 3 | Quang Dinh Ho | Vietnam | 174,060,000 | $120,875 |
| 4 | Khoa Anh Ngo | Vietnam | 144,130,000 | $100,090 |
| 5 | Guoliang Wei | China | 116,250,000 | $80,730 |
| 6 | Ryan Plant | Ireland | 91,680,000 | $63,670 |
| 7 | Yosuke Miki | Japan | 70,100,000 | $48,680 |
| 8 | Kento Nasu | Japan | 52,770,000 | $36,645 |
| 9 | Paulius Plausinaitis | Lithuania | 39,380,000 | $27,350 |
Another Super High Roller Win for Lin
That positivity was there for all to see when Lin entered the star-studded Superstars Challenge, a KRW 35,000,000 ($25,000) buy-in event. Forty-nine players jumped into the action on Day 1, but only 16 players bagged stacks at the end of the night. Lin found himself at the top of the pile after Day 1.
After Haruhiko Shoohara fell in tenth place on Day 2, Lin found himself at another Super High Roller final table and in the money again.
Ryuta Nakai, runner-up in the Super High Roller event, busted in ninth, with Huu Dung Nguyen running out of steam in eighth-place. The dangerous Joseph Cheong bowed out in seventh before Paulius Plausinaitis and Lester Edoc were relieved of their chips, leaving only four players in the hunt for the title.
Lin enjoyed a huge double up with pocket queen against Quang Minh Nguyen's king-jack, which gave him the chip lead. Lin then sent Khoa Anh Ngo to the rail in fourth, eliminated Fendy Kosasih in third, and then saw his lowly ten-five prevail against short-stacked Nguyen's king-three of diamonds to clinch a second title in as many days, plus another $323,100 in prize money.
SPT Jeju Classic 2026 Superstars Challenge Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (KRW) | Approx. Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ren Lin | China | 465,270,000 | $323,100 |
| 2 | Quang Minh Nguyen | Vietnam | 342,920,000 | $238,140 |
| 3 | Fendy Kosasih | Indonesia | 229,420,000 | $159,320 |
| 4 | Khoa Anh Ngo | Vietnam | 173,070,000 | $120,190 |
| 5 | Lester Edoc | Philippines | 123,160,000 | $85,530 |
| 6 | Paulius Plausinaitis | Lithuania | 91,770,000 | $63,730 |
| 7 | Joseph Cheong | United States | 73,250,000 | $50,870 |
| 8 | Huu Dung Nguyen | Vietnam | 59,570,000 | $41,370 |
| 9 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 51,520,000 | $35,780 |
With those two victories, Lin has closed the gap on Biao Ding in China's all-time money listing. Lin has $17,431,793 in winnings, while second-placed Ding has earned $19,678,797. There's still some distance between Lin and Ding and the current number-one Aaron Shu Nu Zhang ($21,920,818). However, with Lin in a purple patch of form and having secured an APT Jeju Classic Main Event seat when he won the Super High Roller event, there's every chance the controversial grinder not only takes over Ding but also leapfrogs Zhang at the top of the tree.
Lead image courtesy of the Asian Poker Tour
