By: TJ Gill


Poker lost one of its greatest legends earlier this morning. Chip Reese, thought to be the greatest all-around player in the world, passed away in his sleep at a Las Vegas hospital on the morning of December 4th, 2007. Word of his death has spread rapidly around internet poker forums and especially in Las Vegas, where Reese had made his home for more than 30 years.

Initial reports have been circulating that Chip Reese had not been feeling well for a few days, and that he had most likely died due to complications stemming from pneumonia. As a child, it is well-known that he suffered from rheumatic fever, which has been known to cause long term heart issues. It is not known if this may have played a factor in his passing.

One of Reese’s best friends and poker pioneer Doyle Brunson had this to say of his good friend: “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.”

Doyle’s son Todd and other poker superstars like Gus Hansen and TJ Cloutier have also made public statements expressing their grief, with Cloutier mentioning that Reese “never said a bad word about anybody” and that he was easily “the greatest poker player that ever lived.”

In a story that has now become a thing of legend, Chip Reese’s love affair with poker and Las Vegas all started after he was just “passing through” Sin City on his way to pursue his career at Stanford Law School. Well, that few-day trip turned in a 30+ year layover, and needless to say the rest is history. Reese would become the youngest member ever to be inducted into the poker Hall of Fame back in 1991. And his win in the inaugural WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. Championship back in 2006 earned him his 3rd and now-final World Series bracelet.


- 2007-12-04