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Various trusted media outlets are reporting that poker Hall of Famer Chip Reese died in his sleep early this morning.
Wicked Chops mentions some recent flu or pneumonia symptoms, but nothing has been confirmed.
Here is a link to TJ Cloutier saying a few words at the WPT Boot Camp in the Bahamas today.
UPDATE: CardPlayer confirms in this article that Chip was admitted to a hospital last night with pneumonia symptoms and died in his sleep. He was 56.
NOTE: His PokerPages bio notes that when Chip was asked when he might consider quitting poker, he replied, “I’ll stop playing at my funeral, and only God knows what I’ll do after that.â€Â
UPDATE: According to Gary Wise in this ESPN article, Chip called his doctor late Monday night complaining of pneumonia symptoms but never did go to the hospital. He died at home in his sleep.
I can’t believe it. This is stunning news all over the poker world. I’m sure they’ll have a big thing on this next year when ESPN delivers the WSOP 2008. R.I.P. Chip Reese, one of the greatest and most winningest cash game players in the world.
Some interesting Chip Reese tidbits … he used to play on a shared bankroll with Doyle Brunson. But unlike Doyle, he never got on board with the whole being on TV concept. He hated the idea of anyone seeing his hole cards.
That explains why he was never on High Stakes Poker then — I always wondered about that.