A poker tournament held on Veterans Day in the U.S. – this past Sunday – in Gardena, California produced an unexpected champ. It also produced an unexpected donation to a very worthy cause, first responders.

Rob Reid is the 52-year-old General Manager of two casinos in Gardena, Lucky Lady and Hustler. He admittedly spends more time behind the poker scene than in front, but decided to take a break from the rigors of the job to participate in the friendly tournament. He did so never expecting to win.

The tournament had $10,000 up for grabs and, after eight hours, Reid was awarded the victory. After playing out a field that contained 111 entries, he and the other three finalists agreed to chop the pot. With Reid as the decisive chip leader, he was given the lion’s share, with the remainder of the pot split among the other three.

Instead of taking his $2,000 and riding off into the California sun, Reid decided to put it to good use. He immediately donated it to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for first responders in Southern California. Among those first responders are the many firefighters that have been tirelessly battling out of control wildfires in the state.