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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
Poker Prop Bets: The Wildest Wagers and How Each One Ended
Treadmills, body fat scans, a dark bathroom and a 500 to 1 Main Event shot. The terms, the odds and who actually got paid.
Playing GGPoker Without a HUD: How to Adjust by 1 December
The ban lands 1 December, the replacement features are still rolling out, and single-room players lose less than the reaction suggests.
GGPoker Third-Party Software Ban: PT4, HM3, Jurojin Out
Tools GGPoker once permitted must now close before the client opens, and support for Windows 7 and 8 ends in 2027.
Win a $12,400 WPT World Championship Package From $1.10
The Golden Ticket closes after 30 winners and KYC must clear by December 3, so when you qualify matters as much as how.
Gamdom Hack: $3M Admitted, $4.2M Tracked, Still Offline
Gamdom’s founder said the site would be back in a couple of hours. Two days on it is still dark, and his $3M loss figure sits well below the $4.2M counted on-chain.
Bryn Kenney GGPoker Lawsuit: 5% Stake, $3M a Year at Issue
The complaint puts a $500 million price tag beside the stake he says he was promised, with the first hearing on 12 November.
Jack Doherty Shuffle Contract: Six Months Off the Internet
A roast reply in late September became a signed deal by 10 October. The contract, the fee and the start date are still unpublished.
ACR USA Weekly Leaderboard Pays $6,195 in Sunday Tickets
The winner’s bundle covers all ten featured Sunday events, but every ticket dies at midnight ET that same Sunday.
ACR Poker ScreenShield: Any WPN Player Can Request It
It was switched on for flagged accounts on 29 September. Streamers and coaching students should read the trade-off before asking for it.
Free WPT World Championship Ticket With a $10+ Deposit
A $100 deposit and a $249 deposit earn the same $22 ticket, and only your first qualifying deposit counts.
GGPoker Ocean KO: 72% of Knockouts Pay Below Face Value
The wheel averages exactly 1x and GGPoker takes nothing from it. Your edge moves from the knockouts you earn to a tail you reach once in a thousand hits.
Brazil Online Poker Ban? MP 1.394 Leaves Poker Out
The law took betting sites offline on 6 October and bars Pix from touching them. Poker sits in neither of its definitions, yet some PokerStars players are already locked out.