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Mark Patrickson
Head of Poker Content
Mark Patrickson is the Head of Poker Content at VIP-Grinders, where he leads the editorial direction for all poker coverage. He has been part of the team since July 2018, first as a poker journalist and now in an editorial leadership role.
Every month he publishes our Online Poker Traffic Report, ranking 36 networks by cash game players and tournament entries. The data comes from SharkScope Analytics through Poker Industry PRO, and every edition is dated and sourced so the numbers can be checked rather than taken on trust.
He assigns topics, sets the editorial calendar for online and live poker news, and edits content across multiple authors. He holds final sign-off on every poker article before it publishes and oversees all contributors on the poker side of the operation.
Mark is a cash game specialist with over 20 years at the tables, across PokerStars, GGPoker, Partypoker and iPoker.
During his years as a full-time player from 2010 to 2015, he logged 1.5 million cash hands in a single year and played regularly at stakes up to 200NL 6-Max. That volume is what sits behind his read on rakeback value, game selection, table dynamics and bankroll management.
Mark has written about poker professionally for over a decade. Before joining VIP-Grinders he produced 194 strategy articles at PokerVIP, contributed high-stakes reporting to HighStakesDB, and created content for PokerTube.
He was also contracted by MasterClass, where he oversaw production of the written course content for the poker courses presented by Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey. He has worked as a freelance poker and iGaming writer since 2015, covering news, strategy, room reviews, and industry analysis.
Mark studied mathematics at university, a background that naturally complements his analytical approach to both poker and content. He is also an avid chess player.
“I’ve played millions of hands of poker, and that experience sits behind everything I write. Verify everything, assume nothing, and don’t waste the reader’s time.”
Areas of expertise: Poker News, Editorial Strategy, Poker Traffic Data, Cash Game Analysis, Poker Room Reviews, Rake & Rakeback Structures, Industry Trends, High-Stakes Coverage
Latest Poker Articles by Mark Patrickson
Who Is Phil Hellmuth’s Wife? The Dr. Katherine Sanborn Story
A Stanford psychiatry professor who turned down reality TV and tried to steer both sons away from poker, where both now play.
ACR Poker’s Tommy McMillen Has $300,000 in UFC Bonuses From Three Fights
He was knocked down in round two, won round three, and wants another fight before the year is out.
ACR Poker Puts $6.875M Across Ten OSS XL Tournaments on Main Event Sunday
The $250,000 Mini Phil’s Thrill needs 100 entries on Sunday, and the same tournament drew 36 on 6 September.
Triton Poker Results 2026: Every Winner, Payout and Festival Recap
Every Triton Poker winner, payout and recap from the 2026 season, updated as each festival ends.
Nick Schulman Wins Triton Jeju II Main Event for $3,854,888
Eight years after his first Triton win in the same Jeju room, the Hall of Famer chops heads-up with Bernhard Binder and closes it out in three hands.
ACR Poker’s Final Table Replayer Shows Every Hole Card
The archive is automatic and covers every tournament. It also stops at the final table, which matters more than it sounds.
Eight ACR Poker Multi-Day Tournaments Left in September With $9.725M Guaranteed
The cheapest of the eight costs $5.50. The most expensive guarantees $2.5 million, and both finish on the same two days.
Ashton Griffin’s Prop Bet: 70 Miles in 24 Hours for $300,000
Poker’s most retold prop bet keeps getting the facts wrong, including from the man who was in the room.
CoinPoker GOPC 2026: $50M Global Online Poker Championship
Four weeks of the $50M series remain. The $3M Main Event, four $1M CoinMillions and every medal winner, tracked to 28 September.
Chess Players Who Play Poker: 11 Crossovers Ranked
One has $61 million in poker earnings, one won the Main Event, one hustled chess in Washington Square, and two are world champions.
Triton Duel Sponsorship Brings Ketola Heads-Up Matches Back for Jeju and North Cyprus
Triton’s newest sponsor, the heads-up clause that comes with it, and the two festivals that close the tour’s tenth year.
Chess.com Poker Site Gambit Tops 75,000 Members After First Streamed Cup
Two people built it in under a year, it charges no rake, and nearly 20 million hands have already been dealt.