Handball and Poker at the LA Athletic Club

Deal or No Deal! Firefighters led the pack in a showdown to the finish at the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament, benefitting the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund. Our men and women in uniform squared off against Athletic Club members and other charity supporters in an exciting day and night of competition. 

“Our Handball Committee at the L.A. Athletic Club hosts an annual handball tournament and this year we wanted to do something special,” said Gerard Chok, one of the key tournament organizers. “I love playing poker and thought that doing both would be great fun. As it turned out, both events on that day were a resounding success!”

The civilians took the top spots in the handball tournament (OK, not sure how that happened) but by nightfall, the firefighters turned it around as more than 60 poker players vied for a high-definition, flat screen TV. This amazing grand prize was courtesy of event sponsor Ace Outdoor Advertising.

Ace owner Andy Bilanzich remarked, “I come from a firefighter background. My father is a firefighter in Utah and I was brought up in that whole wonderful world. It was privilege to be a part of this event.”

Inspector Oscar Martinez of the Environmental Unit, AO Gary Maga of Fire Station 69 and Deputy Chief Mario Rueda were among the night’s top players. Using their sharp skills and poker prowess, Martinez, Maga and Rueda won round after round, eventually making it to the final table of ten.

Many of the players entered the tournament thanks to a kind and generous sponsorship from retired LAFD Captain George Varton who commented, “It was an outstanding event. It was very exciting and very rewarding to see all these people enjoying themselves for a worthy cause. I had so much fun; I might have to play next year.”

Varton is the Director for the Fire Service Division representing Conseco Insurance Companies, which prides itself on being a leading source for supplemental health insurance, cancer intensive care insurance, life insurance and annuities.
No matter where they ended up in the rankings, everyone enjoyed the night, beginning with a tasty pasta buffet, and of course, a little liquid inspiration courtesy of Fireman’s Brew. This firefighter owned company donated cases of its uniquely named beer selections. Players extinguished their thirst with “Redhead Ale,” “Blonde Beer” and “Brewnette Beer.”

Of course, the night would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the tournament committee, including Chok, whose graphic, advertising and marketing company, Chok Design, donated its artistic talent to help publicize the event.
“I want to thank the firemen for all the support, especially Captain Varton who sponsored so many of them,” Chok said.

Also instrumental were Athletic Director Marlene Wiscovitch and Marcie Segura of the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The club’s entire staff really went out of their way to provide top-notch service, food and fun.

“We enjoyed working to benefit such a great cause.  We had a nice balance of firefighters, members and guests at the event and I hope we can build on it for next year,” Wiscovitch said.

Sponsor Kevin Wright, Associate Vice President, Investment Officer of Wells Fargo Advisors looks forward to this becoming an annual event and certainly knew when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.

“The night was great! I love sponsoring all the firefighter events. It’s a little payback to the firefighters for all they do for the civilians of Los Angeles,” Kevin said.

In the end, it was all about the cards as dealers from Five Star Casino, another generous donor to the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund, handed out the evening’s fate. 

The crowd surrounded the “final ten” table, ooh-ing, aah-ing and cheering as the players bet, bluffed and battled their way through the final hands. With cameras clicking, Tony Chok, the 85-year-old father of tournament sponsor and organizer Gerard, went head to head with Chief Mario Rueda for the championship. With all eyes on him, Chok earned his way to a great second place finish, winning an iPod, while Rueda walked away ranked as number one, taking home the HD TV! 

“It was really good to have Mario finally win something because he can’t win on the handball court!” Ace’s Andy Bilanzich said.