by Simon Young

There are good poker players, great players - and legendary players. The latter group does not contain that many names, and sadly today there is one less after the death of David “Chip” Reese. He was 56.

A quite brilliant cash game player, Reese was also a genius at the tournament tables, picking up three WSOP bracelets, including the coveted 2006 $50,000 HORSE event with it’s stunning $1.8 million first prize. The mark of quality is reflected in the fact that his first recorded big tournament win was also in the WSOP - way back in 1978 when he picked up the $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split for a more modest $19,200.

As recently as this summer I enjoyed watching Reese playing in the WSOP Main Event while I was working in Las Vegas. His tournament never really got going that day, but the respect that other players at the table gave him was obvious.

Reese, an amiable American, had been suffering recently from the symptoms of pneumonia and died in his sleep. Recently divorced from his wife, he leaves a son, a daughter, a stepdaughter and many friends.

One of his best friends over the years was fellow poker legend Doyle Brunson. He said: “I knew him for 35 years , I never saw him get mad or raise his voice. He had the most even disposition of anyone I’ve ever met.”

Doyle added: “He’s certainly the best poker player that ever lived.”

Coming from Doyle, that is the greatest compliment Reese could have been paid.

by Simon Young

We told yesterday how kenn121 picked up $44,034.61 by taking down the PartyPoker.com $300K Guaranteed Sunday. Turns out Kenn is based in the UK and, like many European players, was having to fight to the finish in the early hours of the morning. What’s more, his wife was still there by his side - and promptly burst into tears of happiness when he won.

Kenn is 34 and works for himself. He does not want to give out his full name, but was happy to pass on details of his key moment. When they were down to five players he won a huge race when his J-J held up against A-K. “Everyone had tightened up and we were all pretty even in chips. I had J-J under the gun and made a standard raise and the big blind pushed all in. It took me a while to call as I felt if he had A-A to Q-Q he would have re-raised, not pushed. So he either had a smaller pocket pair or A-K/A-Q - and I decided his range meant I was ahead. It was still a tough call to make, but I was glad it held.”

So, what happened next? “Well, straight after that hand a deal was done and I got the biggest amount as I was the new chip leader. My wife was still up and she burst into tears, and for me it did not really sink in until I saw the money in my account! Straight after that we got the Champagne out! It was a very good feeling - and hopefully it will not be my last.”

Kenn, a keen football fan who has one child, normally plays tournaments above $10, and will try to qualify for the $300K Guaranteed Sunday. But this time he bought in direct for $215 as he had enjoyed a profitable day on the previous Friday. His advice for succeeding in a tournament? “Just win your races.”

No doubt some of his winnings will help towards his future poker exploits, but Kenn is determined that most of it will be invested wisely. “Boring I know,” he said, “but into the mortgage she goes.”

Finally, Kenn’s five words to describe himself? “One lucky donkey/fish.” Okay, that’s four, but we can think of 44,000 reasons to let him off one word.

by Simon Young

December normally brings an alarming rise in bills. With presents to buy and parties to attend, it is tempting to dip in to the online bankroll to sweeten the pill. But PartyPoker player kenn121 will have no such worries this year after scooping $44,034.61 in our brilliant $300K Guaranteed Sunday.

He beat off another bumper field of 1,583 players - generating a $316,600 prize pool - to grab first place after disposing of second-placed finisher Sunkman, who himself won $32,887.31 after a final table deal was made.

The $300K Guaranteed Sunday is proving increasingly popular. It has a $215 buy-in, but you can get there for as little as $3 in one of our many qualifiers throughout the week. Visit our $300K Guaranteed Sunday qualifier page for more.

You could find yourself having a very happy holiday!

Final table results:

1 kenn121, $44,034.61

2 Sunkman, $32,887.31

3 schoolbookbr, $32,868.68

4 HOTEL_, $27,455.53

5 Tr0uts, $14,563.60

6 wyn58, $10,992.70

7 Turin_Petr, $8,389.90

8 Jagugr, $5,540.50

9 SuperTiltiana, $4,274.10

10 ddaylee, $3,007.70

Congratulations to all the players for reaching the final table.