Normandie Casino Celebrates 65 Years With Exciting Promotions

Biggest isn’t always the best. Family owned and operated Normandie Casino, one of the original card clubs in the Los Angeles region, has thrived for the past 65 years by offering the friendliest and most intimate casino in town.

With great promotions and a renewed push to expand its already quality poker offerings, Normandie is inviting all poker players to come check out the cozy club and participate in a number of upcoming anniversary promotions.

Normandie Casino, located less than 15 minutes from Los Angeles/LAX airport and 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, has three generations of family roots and that background guides the properties management and customer service philosophy. Owned and operated by the Miller family since 1947, Normandie has the distinction as being the only original Southern California card room still pitching cards.

“We have a loyal customer base since we strive to provide that family feel,” says Normandie Casino President Michelle Miller Wahler. “When our customers come here, they feel important rather than getting lost in the mix at a bigger property.”

This is a casino where the staff shakes player’s hands and knows their names.
“We are not the biggest but we are the friendliest and we hope that when customers come here we give them an experience that is more personable, more comfortable,” Miller Wahler, who has held the President post since 2009, added.

One of the Originals

Normandie got its start in 1940 with the opening of the Western Club in Gardena, California. Gardena became ground zero for California poker action two years earlier after a tenacious entrepreneur, Ernie Primm, won a California Supreme Court Case allowing poker in Los Angeles community.

Primm opened the Western Club where Russ Miller, Miller Wahler’s grandfather, worked as a doorman. Seven years later, Russ worked his way up from greeting guests to owning the re-named Normandie Casino.

“He passed the club onto his four sons. One of those sons is my father so we’re now onto the third generation,” Miller Wahler explained.

“Poker was the original game, the only legal game and what Gardena started with,” Miller Wahler stated. “The lawmakers were poker players and they did not want to outlaw it.”

Poker Roots, Then and Now

Poker has always been the main attraction at Normandie and the action is only getting better. It has recently added new promotions, livened up its tournament offerings and is spreading a larger variety of cash games.

The casino possesses a total of 28 poker tables and contains a tournament section, separate VIP section and room for a variety of cash games.

Cash games options include hold’em, both fixed ($2-$4 and up) limit and no-limit hold’em, stud, Omaha, and Mexican Poker.

Every Wednesday and Friday, a $15-$30 lowball game is spread. “That game is a great example of the loyalty we have here,” Miller Wahler stated. “That group has been playing here since before I was born. It’s great and they love it.”

To celebrate its 65th anniversary, Normandie will host its largest tournament in years, the 1st Annual Normandie Classic. Running August 9-13, the event will feature a $50,000 guarantee with a $125 buy, $25 entry fee, optional $10 staff bonus and $125 rebuy.

This tournament, which offers a very affordable option for a significant guarantee, promises to be a lot of fun. Normandie loves to host parties and this anniversary one, coupled with a great poker event, will certainly be special.

In addition to the 1st Annual Normandie Classic, come celebrate 65 years at their Anniversary Party on Friday, August 24th at 7pm. Enjoy complimentary cake and a champagne toast while qualifying for great cash and prize giveaways.

For larger events and special promotions, the property has the ability to open up seating in its historic showroom, the only Southern California card club with a dedicated entertainment house that hosts live music and comedy nights, which allows Normandie to seat up to 300 players.

For regular tournaments, Normandie offers freezouts Sunday and Wednesday. The Wednesday tournament, which offers a $7,000 guarantee, is a $100 buy in with an optional $85 rebuy. This is a deep stack tournament. A “freeroll” tournament runs on Sunday where individuals register using a combination of players card points and cash. This tournament has multiple $10 rebuys, an add on, and usually smashes its $2,000 guarantee.

Keeping true to its focus on service, tournament players are treated to complimentary sandwiches, cookies and beverages. The property also possesses a delicious restaurant, Bookmakers that hosts a full menu and specializes in Korean food.

Poker isn’t the only game at Normandie, however. The California games offered include the only blackjack in Los Angeles that pays 3:2, baccarat, pai gow, and ultimate Texas hold’em.

Special promotions are very common and for the most updated information on current promotions, check out Normandie’s website, Facebook page or Twitter account. For example, the casino recently ran a $10,000 freeroll blackjack tournament.

Normandie may be small, but they are huge when it comes to Jackpot payouts! More than 40 Hard Way Jackpots have already hit this year, totaling over $900,000, and they’ve just added an Easy Way Jackpot for all Hold’em games.

Focus on the Future

Turns out, Normandie is a best-kept secret that doesn’t want to be a secret anymore.
Under Miller’s watch, the property has updated its interior, improved its café and great food offerings and expanded the poker room game offerings so now there truly is something for everybody.

“We are not just focusing on the past but focusing on the future,” Miller Wahler remarked. “We want to grow and become a destination for those that might have not given us a chance before. We want everyone to realize that we have a fresh outlook and are, trying to make things hip and new. We’ve been doing something right for the last 65 years and we try to get better each and every day. We try to offer the public something that they don’t get elsewhere which is more of that personal touch.”

Do yourself a favor and check out one of the originals. ♠