When PokerOrg published a thread on X dedicated to the late, great Chip Reese, it captured the poker world’s attention, racking up nearly 500,000 views at the time of writing.
We started off the thread by saying, "You've heard the name before... Doyle Brunson said he was without a doubt the best poker player that ever lived and he was the youngest person ever inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame… but do you know his story? This is how Chip Reese became the best that ever lived."
And we ended saying, "A rare breed, possessing a natural knack for card games with a talent that was earned through experience and grit. We may never see another talent exactly like his, but if he were here, he'd likely gush over how proud he was of his kids and not his own giant poker stature."
You can read the thread for yourself below.
Negreanu: Who is the poker GOAT of the modern era?
Daniel Negreanu, who knew Reese well, responded to the thread with a thought-provoking question.
He wrote, "When Michael Jordan is asked who the GOAT NBA player is, he answers by saying it’s unfair to compare eras. Bobby Fischer said the same when comparing chess players of today, with the tools at their disposal, to the greats of the early 1900’s.
"Chip Reese was unanimously regarded as the GOAT of his era and if you factor in the lack of tools available to him that are available today, arguably the greatest poker mind to have ever lived.
"When Chip Reese passed, that distinction of GOAT was passed down to Phil Ivey. Dominated online, tournaments, cash games, mixed games- all of it. Who is the GOAT of this era and how do they stack up against those that came before them?"
Who got the most votes for poker GOAT?
Negreanu said that it's an interesting question and one with "not such an easy answer, as it isn’t quite unanimous as it had been in previous decades."
His question attracted almost 350,000 views from poker fans and over 250 replies.
Some questioned why Negreanu spoke of Ivey in the past tense, asking, 'Has he retired?'
The answer is no — Ivey is still active, but these days he plays mostly in private games.
Jesse Lonis didn’t hesitate with his answer — himself. He said, "The best player of this era is ranked #1 in the world right now and has been for the majority of the last two years. I’ve dominated every size buy-in level and all field sizes.
"The only reason I don’t play most big cash games is because it’s all private now and I’m not gonna suck off some game runner to get in. Been training playing $300-$600 mix at Resorts World and plan on dominating that scene in the near future also. I appreciate you giving me the extra confidence early on and always believing in my skill from the beginning!"
He ended his post by quoting Cristiano Ronaldo: “If you don’t believe you’re the best then you will never achieve all that you are capable of.”
Still, Lonis only received one additional vote.
The overwhelming poker GOAT is still Ivey, according to the court of public opinion. He got 23 votes (not counting replies that listed multiple names).
Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi came second with 12 votes, followed by Negreanu with seven, Phil Hellmuth with five, Nick Schulman with four and Stephen Chidwick, Martin Kabrhel and Lonis with two. Many, many more were undecided.
- Phil Ivey — 23 votes
- Michal 'The Grinder' Mizrachi — 12 votes
- Daniel Negreanu — 7 votes
- Phil Hellmuth — 5 votes
- Nick Schulman — 4 votes
- Stephen Chidwick — 2 votes
- Martin Kabrhel — 2 votes
- Jesse Lonis — 2 votes
Do you agree? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
