What Makes Chip Reese So Good?

[Poker84 0]

We always hear about what a monster Chip Reese is at the biggest cash games.But what is it about his game that makes him so unbelievable? What does he have in his repertoire that the others don't possess?When you look around online all you find is the highest praise for him, but very little insight into what makes him so good. On Greenstein's webpage, he points to his "skill and control." But doesn't go into further detail. Is his ability to avoid tilting, for instance, what REALLY seperates him?Also, if you look at Greenstein's ratings and average them out, Reese, overall adds up to less than Ivey, Greenstein and Negreanu....his short-handed rating is a 7....wouldn't one think that it would be higher than that since there are probably very few days when the Big Game is full ring?Any insight would be great.I hope Daniel reads this, he'd be the one to know.

[khabbi 0]

No one knows what makes him so good, that's what makes him so good.

[Mercury69 3]

No one knows what makes him so good, that's what makes him so good.

So true, in a Zen-like way...

[cu in 4years Dan 1]

We always hear about what a monster Chip Reese is at the biggest cash games.But what is it about his game that makes him so unbelievable? What does he have in his repertoire that the others don't possess?When you look around online all you find is the highest praise for him, but very little insight into what makes him so good. On Greenstein's webpage, he points to his "skill and control." But doesn't go into further detail. Is his ability to avoid tilting, for instance, what REALLY seperates him?Also, if you look at Greenstein's ratings and average them out, Reese, overall adds up to less than Ivey, Greenstein and Negreanu....his short-handed rating is a 7....wouldn't one think that it would be higher than that since there are probably very few days when the Big Game is full ring?Any insight would be great.I hope Daniel reads this, he'd be the one to know.

why would daniel be the only one who knows?and i also am ashamed to admit that i also want to know why people believe he is so good. his reading ability is above average but nothing special. and i believe he is supposed to be famed for that

[No_Neck 0]

he can smell weekness, and he never makes a mistake.

[mk 11]

and i also am ashamed to admit that i also want to know why people believe he is so good. his reading ability is above average but nothing special. and i believe he is supposed to be famed for that

And you know this because you totally bluffed him out of a $300k pot at the Bellagio last night, right? Right? Right?

[Poker84 0]

"why would daniel be the only one who knows?"I just mean that Daniel would know because he plays with him quite often

[wsox8 10]

he can smell weekness, and he never makes a mistake.

[suicideking 0]

His ability to play in the largest games in world history for the last 25+ years speaks for itself. The fact that he dropped out of college because he won a few thousand dollars over a weekend may sound foolish, but he also made over a million dollars in a year, like 25 years ago. (my numbers may be a little off, but you should get the idea)

[krup24 0]

his name is Chip

[Redrum 0]

because he's smarter than us. No really he is.

[TS Clark 0]

The other pros say that it is Reese's emotional control that makes him so good. He never gets too down when he loses a pot and never gets too up when he wins one. He is just supposed to be a very cool customer -- he wins the most on the hands he wins and loses the minimum with the hands he loses. He never chases or starts playing less than optimally. That right there seperates him from 99.9% of most people who play poker (including, according the other professionals, most pros).When you combine that emotional mastery with a great intellect, absolutely sick card sense (and I've read other pros talk about Reese's instincts), no fear of losing money, and the ability to play all games extremely well, you have a cash game monster.Doyle Brunson wrote that if he had to pick one player to play a session for the life of his family, he would choose Chip Reese. I'm not sure you can say anything better than that in terms of defining the esteem he's held in.

[kcb 0]

I've always wondered the same thing. Every T.V. event he's ever played on, he has busted out early or didn't put in a very good showing.

[benhoug 0]

I've always wondered the same thing. Every T.V. event he's ever played on, he has busted out early or didn't put in a very good showing.

That's because tournament poker and cash game poker are two completely different animals. Mattusow once said that Chip Reese may be the best cash game player, but he'll never win a tournament because he doesn't understand tournament poker.

[brabz 0]

His ability to play in the largest games in world history for the last 25+ years speaks for itself. The fact that he dropped out of college because he won a few thousand dollars over a weekend may sound foolish, but he also made over a million dollars in a year, like 25 years ago. (my numbers may be a little off, but you should get the idea)

Try to get your facts straight. He had graduated Darmouth and was between going to a grad school when he went out and had that monster weekend in Vegas. Having degree from an Ivy League doesn't come across to me as something a college dropout would have.As to the OP, my guess would be a mixture of high intelligence, patience, dedication to the game, and an ability to read player's developed from the three traits listed above. Every other pro speaks very highly of him, and you have to be something special to last in that big game for over 20 years...maybe he'll clarify it all and just write his own book one day.

[AceOnTheRiver 0]

In Chip Reese's own words:Lot of poker players don't understand the object of the game"The object of the game is to increase your wealth, improve your lifestyle, and provide for your family.”

[richgambler 0]

The other pros say that it is Reese's emotional control that makes him so good. He never gets too down when he loses a pot and never gets too up when he wins one. He is just supposed to be a very cool customer -- he wins the most on the hands he wins and loses the minimum with the hands he loses. He never chases or starts playing less than optimally. That right there seperates him from 99.9% of most people who play poker (including, according the other professionals, most pros).This sums it up beautifully.......NH

[ROGUE06 0]

The other pros say that it is Reese's emotional control that makes him so good. He never gets too down when he loses a pot and never gets too up when he wins one. He is just supposed to be a very cool customer -- he wins the most on the hands he wins and loses the minimum with the hands he loses. He never chases or starts playing less than optimally. That right there seperates him from 99.9% of most people who play poker (including, according the other professionals, most pros).This sums it up beautifully.......NH

That sounds pretty accurate since in The Professor, The Banker and The Suicide King, Reese and Greenstein are described as the cool customers that weren't too upset about losing to Beal.

[Butcho22 0]

That's because tournament poker and cash game poker are two completely different animals. Mattusow once said that Chip Reese may be the best cash game player, but he'll never win a tournament because he doesn't understand tournament poker.

Matusow was way off when he said this. Chip understands tournaments just fine. He also understands that he would have to get at least a top 3 finish to make as much money as he could in the same amount of time playing cash games. I would imagine Chip makes some moves in tourneys differently than he would if there wasn't a juicy side game going on.

[dball1981 0]

maybe you shouldn't be asking daniel. maybe we should ask helmuth since he is the "greatest heads up no limit player in the world" and chip did take him down at the heads up championships.also, his name is Chip.

[Turbo 0]

He plays alot.

[turd ferguson 1]

why would daniel be the only one who knows?and i also am ashamed to admit that i also want to know why people believe he is so good. his reading ability is above average but nothing special. and i believe he is supposed to be famed for that

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

[Vatche 0]

all the pros say that his focus is very strong...he can take beat after beat and he wont tilt...."ice in his veins"

[Alpha1494 0]

For all the priase that Chip is given, I think it is really unfortunate that we don't get to see him play on TV more often. But that goes back to the dilemma of Chip not playing very much tournament poker compared to his side games. I would go ahead and assume that Chip will be playing in this year's 50K H.O.R.S.E. event.I also believe that the only real tournament play he has been featured on was the TOC from 2004 (I'm not really considering the HU Championship b/c I thiink we're trying to focus the discussion on short handed to full table games). In the 2004 TOC, Chip was running very well, you can ask DN about that. I remember Chip beating DN out of quite a few pots early. The only reason he got knocked out early is because he got coolered (his KK ran into Hellmuth's AA). Furthermore, on the flop of that pot, Chip looked like he couldn't have been any closer to folding his KK in that situation. The only reason he didn't is because Phil played his AA very fast on that hand, and everyone knows its been about 15 years since Phil fastplayed AA early on with chips stacks pretty deep.Chip Reese is a bad ***. Enough said.Alpha

[benhoug 0]

I also believe that the only real tournament play he has been featured on was the TOC from 2004 (I'm not really considering the HU Championship b/c I thiink we're trying to focus the discussion on short handed to full table games).

He also final tabled an early WPT tourney. It was the one that Greenstein was in as well from early in season 1 (I think).