RPGS Champ & Two-Time WSOPC Ring Winner Mark Martin Passes Away at Age 70
The poker community recently received sad news that Mark Martin, a regular in Midwest poker circles, had passed away at the age of 70.
As noted in his obituary, Martin “was an avid tournament poker player, winning numerous tournaments, including two WSOP Circuit events.”
Indeed, Martin had amassed $283,025 in lifetime tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $46,957 for finishing runner-up in the 2024 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Event #3: $500 The Gargantuan. While he fell one spot shy of winning that tournament, he does have two gold rings to his credit.
The first came in 2020 when he won the WSOP Circuit Hard Rock Tulsa Event #4: $400 NLH for $12,995, and then two years later he won the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant Seniors Event #2: $250 NLH for $17,492.
However, Martin’s most high-profile win was back in 2014 when he topped a field of 262 runners to win the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Downstream Casino for $36,218.
Born October 29, 1954, in Arkansas City, Kansas, Martin graduated with an associate degree from Cowley County Community College in 1974, and that same year married his wife, Debra R. Weaver.
According to his obituary: “The couple made their first home in Girard before moving to Burden, where they owned and operated the Arctic Locker for nearly 20 years. Mark then began ranching near Dexter where he was raised. They ran a hog consignment farm for nearly 15 years as well as raising cattle. In 2017 the couple built their dream home, and Mark fulfilled a lifelong dream of building his own lake in his backyard. He was a member of Burden United Methodist Church. He enjoyed fishing and bird hunting, especially quail.”
Services will be held at a later date under the direction of Miles Funeral Service in Winfield.
