Fold or Flop? Firefighting and Fortune with Steven Genovesse

Steven Genovesse (aka ‘Vito’) has seen his fair share of controlled burns. As a retired LA County firefighter, Vito (nicknamed in 1977 while working at the Burbank FD), has spent thirty-four long years both protecting his local community and refining his skills as a nonprofessional poker player. He plays casually, usually a few times a week at home in Saugus and enjoys the fun of the game without the added pressure of poker being his full-time job. But it wasn’t until this summer when Vito won a coveted champion’s bracelet at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, did he start to realize he had some major skill and luck on his side.
After retiring from the LA County Fire Department in 2009, Vito started perusing his longest held passion: poker. He had been playing since he was a teen, but the idea of going professional never appealed to him, it would ruin all the fun. Vito enjoys meeting up with a few friends and visiting Las Vegas every June if they can, to play some poker and reconnect during the annual World Series of Poker. His cross-country friends encouraged him to reach for a bigger competition benefiting veterans when they arrived in Vegas early and before their usual event this year, and Vito decided to try his luck in an event he hadn’t competed in before at the World Series of Poker. The WSOP is an annual competition held in Las Vegas with over a million dollars of cash prizes up for grabs to lucky winners. Having been established in 1976, the WSOP champion’s bracelets act as a rare trophy for the lucky few who manage to win one. For Vito, he felt right at home. He had competed previously in WSOP events but never won big, he and his friends were comfortable participating in the senior’s event and catching up with each other.
Fitting enough, Vito chose to buy-in at Event #56, which just so happened to be the $500 Salute to Warriors-No Limit Hold’em event benefiting veterans and military charities. The tournament lasted for three full days of intense twelve-hour play with breaks only for food and rest. By the final day, Vito was one of only fourteen remaining players and couldn’t possibly quit in order to play in the senior’s event like he had originally planned. As a retired firefighter however, he had some advantages against the younger players he readily admits to; like being able to sleep odd hours and retain relatively good function while running on minimal/mediocre hotel food. The other players also underestimated him because of his age. All of the competition benefitted a good cause for Vito, as the event managed to raise over $200,000 for the United Service Organizations (USO) and other charities working with veterans. In an apparent moment of fate, the retired warrior ended up being the one to beat out over four thousand other players for the jackpot of over $200,000 in tournament winnings. As a real warrior himself, Vito became one of the most deserving winners from this years’ World Series of Poker.
At the 54th Annual World Series of Poker tournament, Steven Genovesse became one of the lucky few to win big, earning himself the coveted champion’s bracelet. While the photos of him posing with a coy grin and his winnings were being taken, he could be heard telling his friends and family that he would be smiling for days. Vito proudly displays his champion’s bracelet now, during casual games with friends back home. He vows he will get it framed, soon. All in all, he is happy to have won such a coveted prize, while readily admitting he had luck on his side. Whether it’s positive karma from years of dedicated community work or just good old-fashioned luck, Vito is happy with the positive attention being showered his direction. On the third day of the event, he tried to talk some friends from California out of driving the four or five hours to come and watch him play, but still won the event despite all the added pressure and people watching from the rail. Behind the edge of the spectating rail, Vito already had about a half dozen friends and family members cheering him on. Being back in the Santa Clarita Valley now, Vito has no big plans for his winnings; he is humble, even though he has officially won bragging rights. With the all the added buzz from winning, Vito is honored to have made his friends, family, and the Santa Clarita community proud. 

Comments