David 'Chip' Reese

To show how out of touch I have been with the poker news it was only yesterday that I learnt of the death of David 'Chip' Reese who passed away on December 4th.

The World Series of Poker was hit by a scandal in 2006 when the winner of the main event, Jamie Gold was sued by an associate who claimed that they had entered into an agreement to split whatever the eventual winner took away from the Vegas event.

It was a black-eye for poker because the WSOP couldn't endorse their new world champion when there was ambiguity over his integrity,

If you had asked any poker player during this period who the real world champion was in 2006 they would say Chip Reese.

You see - back at that year's World Series of Poker event was the introduction of the H.O.R.S.E tournament. H.O.R.S.E. is a style of poker that incorporates five other styles. These include Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Seven-card Stud High and Seven Card Stud Eight or Better.

Chip Reese won the WSOP bracelet in the 2006 H.O.R.S.E. world championship and the argument was that the real world champion was the winner of the H.O.R.S.E tournament because it contained more skill. And so it should.

The main event of the WSOP is contested under Texas No Limit Hold'em rules. The tourney is one giant crapshoot and even the most non-skilled player can enter and walk out in the money. The tournament that Chip Reese entered required the skill of not one style of poker, but five.

That is why they claim that Reese was the real world champion back in the World Series of Poker 2006.

The Summer of 2006 is just one chapter in the storied career and life of Chip Reese.