David Edward Reese, more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio. He is widely regarded to have been the greatest cash game poker player that ever lived.
At the 2006 World Series of Poker, Reese won the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, taking home the $1,716,000 first prize when his A[c] Q[c] held up against Andy Bloch's 9[c] 8[s] in the final hand, on a board of J[s] 7[c] 7[s] 4[h] 4[s]. This event was notable for having the largest buy-in in WSOP history, as well as the longest heads-up battle with Reese and Bloch playing for 7 hours and 286 hands. By comparison, the final table of the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event lasted for 232 hands total.
As a tribute, from 2008 onwards the H.O.R.S.E. event winner at the World Series of Poker will receive a trophy named the "David 'Chip' Reese Award", which depicts his winning hand of A[c] Q[c].
Reese's total live tournament winnings exceeded $3,500,000.
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, while friends of Chip, including Barry Greenstein and Doyle Brunson, speculate that his death might have been related to an earlier gastric bypass which caused a blood clot.
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."
He is survived by his ex-wife, son, daughter, and stepdaughter.
