View source for Chip Reese

{{Short description|American poker player (1951–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox poker player
| name = Chip Reese
| nickname = Chip
| image = Chip Reese 2.jpg
| caption = Reese at the [[2005 World Series of Poker]]
| birth_name = David Edward Reese
| birth_date = {{birth date|1951|3|28}}
| birth_place = [[Centerville, Montgomery County, Ohio|Centerville, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|12|4|1951|3|28}}
| death_place = [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], U.S.
| wsop bracelet count = 3
| wsop money finishes = 23
| wsop main event best finish rank = 6th
| wsop main event best finish year = 1979
| wpt titles = ''None''
| wpt final tables = 1
| wpt money finishes = 5
}}

'''David Edward '''"'''Chip'''"''' Reese''' (March 28, 1951&nbsp;– December 4, 2007) was an American professional [[poker]] player and gambler from [[Centerville, Montgomery County, Ohio|Centerville]], [[Ohio]]. He is widely regarded as having been the greatest [[cash game]] poker player.<ref name="New York Times">{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=December 7, 2007 |title=Chip Reese, High-Stakes Card Champion, Is Dead at 56 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/sports/07reese.html |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=David Reese |url=http://www.pokerpages.com/players/profiles/55213/david-reese.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513024749/http://www.pokerpages.com/players/profiles/55213/david-reese.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=Pokerpages.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pajich |first=Bob |date=December 5, 2007 |title=Remembering Chip Reese - Poker News |url=http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/3125/remembering-chip-reese |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=CardPlayer.com}}</ref>

==Early life==
Reese suffered from [[rheumatic fever]] during his years at elementary school and had to stay at home for almost a year. During this time, his mother taught him how to play several board and card games. Reese later described himself as "a product of that year." By the age of six, he was regularly beating fifth-graders at poker. In high school, he was a [[American football|football]] player and was on the debate team, winning an Ohio State Championship and going to the National Finals.<ref name="pokernews">{{Cite web |last=Moe |first=Al |date=February 28, 2006 |title=Legends of Poker - David 'Chip' Reese |url=http://www.pokernews.com/news/2006/2/legends-poker-chip-reese.htm |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=PokerNews.com}}</ref>

Reese attended [[Dartmouth College|Dartmouth]] after turning down an offer from [[Harvard University|Harvard]].<ref name="New York Times" /> At Dartmouth, he became a member of [[Beta Theta Pi]] fraternity, played freshman football briefly, participated in debate, and majored in [[economics]]. Reese also had tremendous success in poker games against students and some of his professors. He taught his fraternity brothers to play a variety of card games, including [[Contract bridge|bridge]] as well as many poker variants. Reese played bridge occasionally at the Grafton County Grange. His fraternity later named their chapter card room, the "David E. Reese Memorial Card Room" in his honor. Reese had a brief interest in Stanford Business School but decided instead to play poker professionally after winning $60,000 in a high/low split game in [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2007 |title=Legendary Poker Player Chip Reese Dies In Vegas |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2007/12/11/legendary-poker-player-chip-reese-dies-in-vegas/ |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=CityNews}}</ref>

Reese's first visit to Las Vegas was so financially rewarding and so much fun, that he never left. He is thought to have hired someone to fly to Arizona to clean out his apartment and drive his car to Las Vegas.

==Poker career==
Shortly afterwards, Reese collaborated on the [[seven-card stud]] section for [[Doyle Brunson]]'s ''[[Super/System]]'', the best-selling poker book of all time.  In it, Brunson describes Reese as "one of the two finest young … poker players in the world" and the best seven-card stud player he had ever played.<ref>''[[Super/System]]'' (1979), pp.127–128.</ref>  He won the $1,000 Seven Card Stud Split event at the [[World Series of Poker]] in 1978, and the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=9th World Series of Poker - WSOP 1978, Seven-Card Stud Split |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=8145 |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=13th World Series of Poker - WSOP 1982, Limit 7 Card Stud |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=8096 |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] |language=en}}</ref> Reese decided to concentrate his efforts on cash games, however.
He later became the card room manager at the [[Dunes (hotel and casino)|Dunes casino]]. Brunson says he once lost $6 million to Reese.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Levin |first=Joe |date=July 2022 |title=At 88, Poker Legend Doyle Brunson Is Still Bluffing. Or Is He? |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/doyle-brunson-poker-legend/ |magazine=Texas Monthly |location=Austin, Texas |access-date=July 11, 2022}}</ref>  In 1991, Reese became the youngest living player to be inducted into the [[Poker Hall of Fame]]. By 2006, he was still playing poker, also betting on sports.<ref name="pokernews" />

At the [[2006 World Series of Poker]], Reese won the inaugural $50,000 [[HORSE (poker)|H.O.R.S.E.]] event, taking home the $1,716,000 first prize when his {{cards|A♣|Q♣}} held up against [[Andy Bloch]]'s {{cards|9♣|8♠}} in the final hand, on a board of {{cards|J♠|7♣|7♠|4♥|4♠}}. This event was notable for having the largest buy-in (at the time) in WSOP history, as well as the longest heads-up battle with Reese and Bloch playing for seven hours and 286 hands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fast |first=Erik |date=May 26, 2014 |title=The Top 10 Most Momentous Events In WSOP History |url=https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/17266-the-top-10-most-momentous-events-in-wsop-history |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=CardPlayer.com}}</ref> By comparison, the final table of the [[2005 World Series of Poker]] Main Event lasted for a total of 232 hands.

As a tribute, the "David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy" was inaugurated in [[2008 World Series of Poker|2008]] as an additional prize for the winner of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series of Poker. The trophy depicts his winning hand of {{cards|A♣|7♣|7♠|4♥|4♠}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polson |first=Sarah |date=December 12, 2007 |title=WSOP honors Chip Reese |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/wsop-honors-chip-reese-22036 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121134104/http://www.pokerlistings.com/wsop-honors-chip-reese-22036 |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=PokerListings.com}}</ref> Starting in [[2010 World Series of Poker|2010]], the trophy was awarded to the winner of [[The Poker Player's Championship]], the replacement for the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. Retaining the $50,000 buy-in, the event added no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, and limit 2–7 triple draw to the five H.O.R.S.E. games, which culminated with a no-limit hold 'em final table in the first two years for tv (2010 and 2011), since which the mixed game format is played until the champion is crowned<ref>{{Cite press release |title=2010 WSOP Schedule Is Announced |date=December 17, 2009 |publisher=World Series of Poker |url=http://www.wsop.com/news/2009/Dec/2643/2010-WSOP-SCHEDULE-IS-ANNOUNCED.html |access-date=December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 World Series of Poker Structure Sheet, Event 2: The Poker Player's Championship |url=http://www.wsop.com/pdfs/2010/10823-structure.pdf |access-date=February 2, 2010 |website=World Series of Poker}}</ref>

Reese's total live tournament winnings exceeded $3,900,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Reese's profile at the Hendon Mob |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=200 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]]}}</ref>

==Death==
{{Wikinews|American poker player Chip Reese dies at age 56}}
Reese died on December 4, 2007, at his Las Vegas home. Some sources state that Reese died in his sleep from the effects of [[pneumonia]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pajich |first=Bob |date=December 4, 2007 |title=Chip Reese: 1951-2007 |url=http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/10365/chip-reese-1951-2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206133356/http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/10365/chip-reese-1951-2007 |archive-date=December 6, 2007 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=CardPlayer.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Calistri |first=Amy |date=December 4, 2007 |title=Poker Legend David 'Chip' Reese Dead at 56 |url=http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/12/chip-reese-passes-at-56.htm |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=PokerNews.com}}</ref> while friends of Chip, including [[Barry Greenstein]] and Doyle Brunson, speculate that his death might have been related to an earlier [[gastric bypass]] that caused a [[blood clot]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greenstein |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Greenstein |date=December 4, 2007 |title=Thinking About Chip Reese |url=http://www.pokerroad.com/_/the_bear_blog/12-4-07/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207132043/http://www.pokerroad.com/_/the_bear_blog/12-4-07/ |archive-date=December 7, 2007 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |website=The Bear Blog}}</ref>

Upon learning of Reese's death, [[Doyle Brunson]] stated, "He's certainly the best poker player that ever lived." World Series of Poker commissioner [[Jeffrey Pollack]] said upon his death that many consider Chip "the greatest [[cash game]] player who ever lived, but he was also a World Series of Poker legend."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wise |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Wise |date=December 5, 2007 |title=Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Reese dead at 56 |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/poker/news/story?id=3141655 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |website=ESPN Poker}}</ref>

Reese's house in Las Vegas was put up for sale on June 8, 2008, at a price of $5,699,500.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2008 |title=Home for Sale |url=http://www.cyberhomes.com/VListing.aspx?orgid=nvglvaor&listingid=833374 |access-date=April 29, 2009 |website=Cyberhomes}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> He purchased the house with winnings from sports betting in baseball and from an investment in [[Jack Binion]]'s [[Tunica Resorts, Mississippi|Tunica]] [[Horseshoe Casino Tunica|casino]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2009 |title=Chip Reese's House Is For Sale |url=http://wickedchopspoker.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/01/chip-reeses-house-is-for-sale.html |access-date=April 29, 2009 |website=WickedChopsPoker.blog}}</ref>

==World Series of Poker bracelets==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Tournament
! Prize (US$)
|-
| [[1978 World Series of Poker|1978]]
| $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split
| $19,200
|-
| [[1982 World Series of Poker|1982]]
| $5,000 Limit 7 Card Stud
| $92,500
|-
| [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]]
| $50,000 [[H.O.R.S.E.]] World Championship
| $1,784,640
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Cite web |title=Chip Reese |url=http://www.worldpokertour.com/players/?x=profile&id=4608 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316002144/http://www.worldpokertour.com/players/?x=profile&id=4608 |archive-date=March 16, 2006 |website=[[World Poker Tour]]}}
*{{Cite web |last=Sylven |first=Erik |date=July 15, 2006 |title=Chip Reese: 'I Will Celebrate By Sleeping' |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player-interviews/chip-reese-i-will-celebrate-by-sleeping |website=Poker Listings.com}}
*{{Cite news |date=December 10, 2007 |title=Chip Reese |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3025616.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523101532/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3025616.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2010}}
*[https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=200 Hendon Mob profile]
*[https://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/chip-reese/ PokerNews profile]
*[https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=253 WSOP profile]

{{World Series of Poker $50,000 Players' Championship Winners}}
{{1970s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{1980s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{2000s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{Poker Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, Chip}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]]
[[Category:American poker players]]
[[Category:American gin players]]
[[Category:World Series of Poker bracelet winners]]
[[Category:Super Bowl of Poker event winners]]
[[Category:People from Centerville, Ohio]]
[[Category:Poker Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Nevada]]