Chip Reese Dies at 56
2007-12-04 19:22:31
By:
Gene Bromberg
Earlier this afternoon the news broke that David "Chip" Reese, one of the greatest
poker players of all time, passed away unexpectedly.
According to a report in CardPlayer, Reese was released from a hospital last night and went home, where he died in his sleep. Previous reports said that Reese was treated for pneumonia-like symptoms during his stay at the hospital, and
according to Reese's sister pneumonia was what caused his death.
Reese was one of the titans of
poker, even if he didn't seek the limelight as so many other players have. Reese famously began his poker career during a brief stop in Las Vegas as he traveled from Dartmouth College to Stanford, where he was supposed to attend business school. Reese ended up making a small fortune playing
poker tournaments and seven-card stud and never quite made it to Palo Alto. He was known as perhaps the best seven-game stud player in the world, as maybe the biggest cash-game winner ever, and on the short list of the greatest players of all-time. It's a testimony to how much his game was respected that Reese was the youngest player ever elected to the Poker Hall of Fame, even though he'd never won the
World Series of Poker Main Event.
As poker's popularity boomed, Reese remained relatively anonymous. Perhaps the first many of poker's new fans saw of him was when he was invited to play in ESPN's Tournament of Champions event that Annie Duke won. But Reese also made a final table at the WPT event in Tunica, and of course in 2006 Reese won the first $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, cementing his reputation as one of the best players in the world.
It's poignant that during the coverage of this year's H.O.R.S.E. event, Reese spoke in an interview about how much it meant to have his family watch him win that bracelet. Reese started playing
poker tournaments because his son asked why his father, a poker legend, wasn't on TV like the rest of the people he played with. So Reese started playing tournaments and, shortly thereafter, won the tournament poker professionals value the most.
There will doubtless be more reaction to Reese's passing over the next day or so, but already many of his friends and fellow players have released statements. Reese and Doyle Brunson were longtime friends and business associates, and
in a statement released to CardPlayer Brunson said, "I have lost one of my oldest and dearest friends today. He was one of the most unique individuals I have ever known, and poker has lost one of the greats today."
In an interview with PokerNews, Mike Sexton said, "Chip Reese was probably the most successful poker player in history...Chip has always been admired by players for his success, his demeanor at the table, and that he never steamed or went on tilt. When you mention poker 'greats', put Chip Reese on the top of the list."
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