Chip Reese: 1951-2007

David “Chip” Reese, the legendary cash game player who in 1991 became the youngest person ever inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, passed away in his sleep early Tuesday morning.  The exact cause of death is unknown, but is surmised to be related to complications from pneumonia.  He was fifty-six years old. 

Reports are currently conflicting regarding his health over the last couple days.  ESPN.com says that Reese had called his doctor around 10:00pm Monday “complaining of pneumonia symptoms,” but never went to a hospital.  CardPlayer.com reports that he did, in fact, go to a hospital, but was released.  His friend and fellow high stakes cash game competitor, Barry Greenstein, said that Reese had been taking medication to combat pneumonia for a couple days. 

In his audio blog, Greenstein also said that Doyle Brunson thinks that Reese’s death may have been caused by a blood clot stemming from prior gastric bypass surgery.  Brunson had this surgery as well, and said that doctors told him that he would be more susceptible to blood clots.  Of course, this is just speculation by Brunson. 

The Ohio native who essentially stumbled upon his poker career while heading out to attend graduate school at Stanford University (he never did attend), was widely regarded by his peers as the best cash game player in the world.  An unassuming person who never sought out fame as many in the poker world have done over the past few years, he was a bit of an enigma to the casual poker fan.   

While he won two World Series of Poker bracelets by 1982, he was never really part of the recent televised tournament boom, choosing cash games instead.  For Reese, cash games were not only more profitable than tournaments, they also allowed him to spend more time with his family.  “He was a family man like no one else in poker,” Greenstein said of his friend.

In 2006, however, he jumped back into the forefront of the poker world when he won the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the WSOP, essentially nailing down his place as the best all-around poker player on the planet.  He only played in two WSOP events that year – the one he won and the Main Event. 

Said Doyle Brunson, "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." 

At the end of his blog, Greenstein added, “We focus on money so much, but this is a wake up call that we still need to focus on life.”