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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
$0.80 Ticket Turns Into $42,700 as John Kim Wins ACR Poker’s Mini Phil’s Thrill
The flat-call with aces on the money bubble that decided a 61-entry high roller.
WSOP 2026 ESPN Ratings: 593,000 Watched the Finale
Two nights of edited episodes cannot do what four months of weekly television did for the November Nine.
WSOP Online 2026 Starts Today With a $30,000 Bonus on Every Bracelet
A $300 bracelet now carries exactly the same bonus as the $5,000 Main Event bracelet.
ACR Poker Vault Rush: Free Weekly Keys and Mystery Rewards
ACR Poker’s Vault Rush gives players four weekly challenges, one key per challenge, and a Vault that holds staking tickets into select tournaments. Here’s how the weekly cycle works.
PokerStars on Betfair Goes Live 13 August: What Changes for UK Players
Betfair Poker, Paddy Power and Sky Poker all leave the iPoker network.
WSOP Main Event Taxes: The Final Nine Lost $12.3 Million to the Taxman
Finishing sixth was worth more than finishing fourth once the tax bills landed. Here is what all nine actually keep.
Lucas Jumalon Wins the 2026 WSOP Main Event for $10,000,000
A 22-year-old from Spokane beat 9,207 players and never gave up the chip lead once he had it.
WSOP 2026 Main Event: Schedule, Format and ESPN Final Table
Live coverage of the WSOP 2026 Main Event. Daily storylines, eliminations, final table profiles and ESPN finale results. Updated throughout.
WSOP 2026 Results: Every Bracelet Winner, Payouts and Final Table
Lucas Jumalon won the 2026 WSOP Main Event for $10,000,000, closing out the 57th World Series of Poker. Full final table payouts, every bracelet winner and weekly recaps from the whole summer.
ACR Venom Vault Is Back: Free Key, Guaranteed Prize, $2,650 Seats
One free key, no losing doors, and prizes running from $0.80 tickets up to a seat in the biggest Venoms ACR has ever run.
Jason Koon Enters the Poker Hall of Fame as 2026’s Only Inductee
Koon goes in first ballot. Matusow’s twelfth nomination ends the same way as the last eleven.
CoinPoker 3-Bet Club: What the New Membership Actually Pays
The five mechanics, the fee CoinPoker has not published, and how to work out whether it pays for itself.