photo: WSOP.com

That’s what we wanna know … after Saturday/Sunday’s marathon 9->2 session … how long do you think the heads-up battle between Darvin Moon and Joe Cada will go?

They’re currently in Level 39, with blinds at 500k/1000k + 150k.

Moon has almost the same number of chips he started with, 58,850,000, while Cada, who started with just 13,215,000, now has all the rest — 135,950,000.

What they’re fighting for, essentially: $3.36 million in cash, and then everything else that goes with being WSOP champ.

NOTE: In our previous unscientific poll, Moon got the second-most votes … Cada fourth-most.

The record for WSOP heads-up battles is 7 hours 10 minutes, set by Chip Reese vs. Andy Bloch in 2006. Before that it was 7 hours, in the 1983 main event … where after Doyle Brunson busted out in 3rd on a semi-bluff, an unknown from Michigan, Tom McEvoy, beat Rod Peate for $580,000:

BTW, for a fun historical perspective, watch the start of the television coverage of the 1983 final table here.

The final table of the $50,000 HORSE finally concluded at 10am PT with David Bach defeating John Hanson in a marathon final table that lasted over 475 hands, making it the longest final table in the history of the World Series of Poker in the United States. Heads-up play between Bach and Hanson lasted for nearly seven hours total.

The final hand was in razz, with Bach starting out with 7-6-4-A, as Hanson was far behind with J-9-8-5. But for those that have played razz, it’s an intensely frustrating game, and it was for Bach when he went A-Q while Hanson went 6-5 to take the lead with his jack-low. The final card gave Hanson a deuce for 9-8-5-6-2, but Bach caught a nine to just edge him out 9-7-6-4-A to take down the bracelet, the Chip Reese trophy, and win $1,276,802, doubling his career tournament winnings. Hanson takes down $789,199 for the second place finish.

While the cause of death is being investigated, Doyle Brunson wrote in a blog post today that it was a prescription drug overdose.

It seems like yesterday when my nephew called and gave me a message that made my blood run cold, “I think Chip just died” he told me.

It happened again yesterday, only this time it was Chip’s only son, Casey Reese. Casey was found in his apartment from an apparent overdose of prescription drugs. I had seen Casey a few days ago and he looked great. He was very handsome and extremely personable. I will always remember the closeness between Chip and Casey.

My deepest condolences to the Reese family. I feel like I’ve let Chip down but I don’t know what I could have done to help Casey.

Few details about a presumably sad occurrence, but Casey was 20, had a promising baseball career, and likely would’ve found his way to poker upon reaching legal casino gambling age, where we would’ve watched to see if he would indeed become the Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Poker.

The unconfirmed word on the street is that it was from a drug overdose … and it seems plausible enough, as the untimely death of a father can often send someone down such a path.

The story of Jimmy Chagra’s life is a colorful one, to say the least. His early years included a heavy investment in the drug business, high-stakes gambling, which included poker with the likes of Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese, and crime.

It was the drug trade that seemed to make Jimmy’s word go ’round. By all accounts, he took his drug profits to the casinos and lost large sums of money at the poker and gaming tables, then made it all back with drugs – living on the edge in a whirlwind of activity that finally took him to prison. He plead guilty to charges of heading up an assassination attempt on the Assistant US Attorney in 1978, and he was alleged to have set up another hit – this one successful – on Judge Wood, the man who handed down his first prison sentence. The story gained great publicity because the hit man supposedly hired by Jimmy was Charles Harrelson, father of actor Woody Harrelson.

Jimmy’s prison stint was finally ended in 2003 for health reasons, and he was placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program. But living in hiding didn’t sit well with the notorious criminal/gambler because he showed up at the 2007 WSOP to play a little and conduct a few interviews.

His sister reported that Jimmy died on August 19 at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer.

photo: Flipchip / LasVegasVegas

Good thing Michael DeMichele didn’t win, or the inscription “Standing the Test of Time” might seem a little presumptuous.

Chuck in Fort Worth writes in with some kudos and a question about the Chip Reese HORSE trophy. I do not know the answer, but I am betting somebody Kevmath does.

Hey Dan,

As like all your other Texas poker god-children I have enjoyed following the WSOP on Pokerati along with your interesting and lively commentary. I have a question that I am sure you can answer for me. I am some what of a trivia buff and enjoy storing meaningful but otherwise useless information in my brain. What is the significance of the hand on the Chip Reese H.O.R.S.E. Trophy, 4 4 7 7 A. Is that the hand that won the tournament for Chip Reese in 2006? Just curious. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks for writing in, Chuck. From what I understand the intent of the trophy is to make it sort of a Stanley Cup of Poker. We’ll see if that works — frankly I think that will be difficult because it has too many sharp edges, looks to be awkwardly weighted, and is made of metal that is more likely to break than bend. The Stanley Cup is the Stanley Cup, after all, not only because it is hoisted/passed around by full teams — hey, I suppose that’s another issue altogether if, say, Full Tilt had it one year, Ultimate Bet another — but also because it can be dented when taken to a party with Pantera thrown off a balcony into a pool. Those sorts of legends will be hard to create with this award … but still, it’s a good to have, I can only presume.

Phan Phantastically wins 2nd bracelet of Series

Recapping last night, and a preview of today’s tournaments at the WSOP:

John Phan continued a tradition since 2000: A multiple bracelet winner at the World Series of Poker. Phan takes down the $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball title over Shun Uchida, earning just over $150,000 for his second bracelet of the Series.

The other final table yesterday, the $1,500 Mixed Holdem event, was suprisingly won by RV enthusiast Frank Gary over Jonathan Tamayo. After Michael Binger was eliminated in 3rd, it appeared to be Tamayo’s tournament to win. However, Gary took control during the limit holdem period; winning several large pots that gave him a big enough chip lead to put Tamayo away in the first hand of the NL holdem round to win the bracelet and $219,000, which should cover his gas costs for the rest of the year.

The final table for today, plus a preview of today’s tournaments on page 2:

More…

The underbuzz at the Rio these days is the upcoming HORSE event. Everybody wants in, but few have the necessary liquid capital bankroll cushion to comfortably do so. The WSOP ran the last $2,250 mega-sat yesterday. These have had some interesting fields … and it was kinda funny late at night to see the last couple tables of a tiny-looking tourney on totally unspecial tables in a hidden corner (right in front of CardPlayer) with a handful of B-level pros … all fighting for $50k for 1st place, $30k for second. $1,500 NL Democratic Conventions are one thing, as our Omaha Hi-Lo bracelet events … but there were some really high-pressure battles amongst some very solid players going on in these attempts to win one’s way into $50k HORSE.

Off the tables, players are shopping around for backers, as very few players have the true bankroll to justify such a big buy-in against arguably the strongest field in the world. Using the most basic bankroll management math, a player should have $5 million put aside just for poker for HORSE to be a no-brainer buy-in. I gotta think there aren’t more than 25 or 30 mixed-game-capable players in the world with the five double-ems in the family BR, yo? Yet we can expect to see probably about 150 runners competing for the Chip Reese title.

CORRECTION: I made a mistake on the podcast when saying a proper poker bankroll for a $50k buy-in is $5 million. Oops, added an extra zero … $500k should suffice.

Andy Bloch caught an ace on the river to best Huck Seed … so he moves on to what is theoretically his second-biggest heads-up match of his career (the first being the 2006 $50k HORSE finals against Chip Reese) vs. his longtime poker pal and Full Tilt cronie Chris Ferguson.

This matchup is also an East Coast vs. West Coast thing … pitting Dr. Ferguson’s game-theory upbringing and Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA against Bloch’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT and JD from Harvard Law … so let’s hope no one gets shot.

It seems that everyone has a blog these days, and Doyle Brunson has begun his own journal of sorts.

Not long after the return of Doyle’s Room to the U.S. market in October, he began writing the occasional blog post on his site.

This week, he wrote a touching post about his dear friend Chip Reese. It begins:

A week ago my phone rang at 5:30 a.m. I answered it extremely irritated at being awakened so early in the morning. My nephew, Ken Hale said, “I think Chip just died.”

It took a moment to sink in and then disbelief overtook me. How could my best friend, who was 56 years old and apparently in good health, be gone? It felt like a big hole in my body which could never be filled. I jumped out of bed and drove to Chip’s house as fast as I could.

I went into his house and cried with his children Brittany, Taylor, and Casey. Chip had gone to the doctor that afternoon and had a chest x-ray which showed a shadow on his lung. The doctor gave him a shot, told him he was coming down with pneumonia, and sent him home. The doctor, who was a poker player Chip had been teaching, called him at 10:00 to see how he was feeling. Chip told him he felt fine and when the doctor told him he was at the Red Rock Casino playing poker, Chip asked him if he wanted him to come watch him play. The doctor said, “No, if they saw you sitting behind me, they wouldn’t play with me any more.” They laughed and hung up.

Chip went to his room, talked to his girlfriend for 30 minutes, told his kids good night, and went to bed. Casey went to his room at 4:00 and Chip was dead.

Following a pattern established by arena faves Frampton, Kiss, and Cheap Trick, this episode of Beyond the Table captures the group in a rare live performance. With no edits, overdubs, or other studio gimmickry, “Live and Otherwise” finds BTT returning to its off-the-cuff, improvisational roots.

The set gets going with a raucous medley of blues-based numbers, including soon-to-be-classics “Queens Done Done Me In (Again)” — featuring a solo from Little Tommy Schneider — and the Askenasy-penned “I Think My Hair Has a Mind of Its Own.” The group then transitions into a surprisingly peppy version of “House Hoppin’ Blues” chronicling Dan’s recent move Vegas-ward.

From there the boys turn topical, with rockers “Flight of the Dragon” (noting David Pham’s having locked up Player of the Year), “Enjoying the Game” (an homage to Chip Reese), and “Guilt Trip” (regarding the Vaughn-Mizzi account-purchasing affair). As an encore, the group surprises the audience with a new title, “Fortune’s Steward,” a brief romp recognizing Falstaff, author of PokerStage and tireless organizer of the recent WPBT Winter Gathering.

Be sure to catch this important live document of the power trio’s development, circa late-2007. And be sure to email your feedback to theshow(at)beyondthetable(dot)com and/or call the listener line @ (888) 820-8091.

In poker’s version of retiring a jersey number, the WSOP has officially given the $50k HORSE event some honorary name cachet by making it forever (?) the Chip Reese championship event.

From Harrah’s:

World Series of Poker® To Award Trophy To $50,000 Event Champion
In Memory of Poker Great ‘Chip’ Reese

LAS VEGAS – December 12, 2007 – Future winners of the $50,000 buy-in event at the World Series of Poker – currently the HORSE World Championship – will receive a trophy named after the late David “Chip” Reese, according to Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light.

“A true gentleman and the youngest person admitted to the Poker Hall of Fame, Chip Reese was recognized by his peers as the most successful player in the biggest mixed cash games of all time,” Pollack said. “But he was also a great tournament player with three WSOP bracelets, including one for his historic victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE tournament in 2006.

“As a tribute to this great player who embodied the very best of our game, next year’s $50,000 HORSE World Championship will be played in Chip’s honor and memory,” Pollack said. “And the winner will receive the ‘David “Chip” Reese Award,’ as well as a WSOP bracelet, to commemorate their achievement.”

More information about the World Series of Poker is available at the Web site www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

Hmm, attaching a name to a specific tournament … interesting concept.

Funeral services are set for Friday, December 7th at 2pm. This will take place at Palm Mortuary – 6701 North Jones Boulevard in Las Vegas. (Thanks to Michael Craig for the heads-up.)

There may also be a public memorial service of some sort held at the Bellagio next week, but no plans are confirmed at this time.

The Associated Press reports that not only was Chip home when he passed away, but his 18-year old son found him. Reese is survived by that son, Casey, as well as his 16-year old daughter Taylor, and a step-daughter (believed to be in her twenties) Brittney.

For some thoughts from Barry Greenstein, visit his audio blog on PokerRoad.com. He reflects a bit on his memories of Chip, some of Chip’s great qualities, and the wake-up call that his death should be for many people in the poker world to take better care of themselves.

UPDATE: In lieu of flowers or other gifts of condolence, the Reese family has asked that friends contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association in Chip’s name.

Harrah’s writes in with the WSOP parent-company’s thoughts and condolences:

WSOP’s Statement on Passing of Poker Legend ‘Chip’ Reese

LAS VEGAS – December 4, 2007 – Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and the World Series of Poker® issued the following statement today to express condolences to the family, friends and fans of poker great David “Chip” Reese, who died today following a brief illness.

“Many consider Chip the greatest cash-game player who ever lived, but he was also a World Series of Poker legend,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “His victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship in 2006 won him his third WSOP bracelet.and made him a part of WSOP lore forever.

“On behalf of the WSOP and Harrah’s Entertainment, I want to extend to his family our deepest sympathies,” Pollack said.

Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. is the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah’s has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company’s properties operate primarily under the Harrah’s, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah’s also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah’s Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more information, please visit www.harrahs.com.

[Photo: Flipchip]

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.”

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.