Chip Reese

David 'Chip' Reese was born on March 28, 1951, in Centerville, Ohio. As a child, he suffered from rheumatic fever and was forced to stay home from school for a year, during which his mother taught him how to play cards. He later attended Dartmouth College, majoring in economics, where he played poker and bridge against fraternity brothers and even professors. His poker prowess was so dominant that his fraternity named the card room after him.

After graduating from Dartmouth, Reese planned to attend Stanford Law School. However, on a stopover in Las Vegas, he turned $400 into $66,000 and decided to pursue poker full-time. He quickly built his bankroll to over $100,000 and never left Las Vegas.

Reese won his first WSOP bracelet in 1978 in the $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split event ($19,200). He earned his second bracelet in 1982 in the $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud event ($92,500). His most notable tournament victory came in 2006 when he won the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship at the WSOP, defeating a field of 143 players and earning $1,716,000 after a seven-hour heads-up battle against Andy Bloch. This event is considered one of the most prestigious titles in poker, and the trophy was renamed the 'David 'Chip' Reese Award' after his death.

Despite his tournament success, Reese primarily focused on cash games. He was a regular in 'The Big Game' in Las Vegas, often playing against other legends like Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey. Brunson recruited Reese to contribute to the seminal poker strategy book Super/System, referring to him as 'the best seven-card stud player I’ve ever played with.' Reese’s total live tournament earnings exceeded $3.9 million, but his cash game winnings were estimated to be much higher.

In 1991, Reese was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, at that time the youngest living inductee. After his death on December 4, 2007, at age 56, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. trophy was renamed in his honor starting in 2008. In 2010, the event became the Poker Players Championship, and the 'David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy' is awarded to the winner each year. He remains the only poker player to have a WSOP trophy named after them.

Reese died in his sleep at his Las Vegas home on December 4, 2007. His friend Doyle Brunson stated that Reese likely died of a heart attack after being diagnosed with pneumonia earlier that day. He was 56 years old.