When WPT Grand Prix de Paris kicks off on September 10, the setting will once again be the historic and prestigious Aviation Club de France. While the World Poker Tour has made its Parisian home here for the last decade, the Aviation Club de France has been in existence for many more decades before that, transitioning through several different iterations to become the gaming club it is today.
When it was founded in Paris in 1907, the Aviation Club de France was a private and very confidential venue, dedicated solely to aviators. Over the years, the Club began to welcome more and more new members and, by the 1960s, had become one of the most prestigious places to see and be seen. The ACF, as members name it, is located on the Champs Elysées next to the Arc de Triomphe, a location as famous and historic as the Club itself. Nowadays, hundreds of members come through the Club’s doors every day to enjoy its gambling tables, including Poker 21 (Black Jack Parisian Style), Punto Banco, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker and a large variety of poker cash games (from low to high limits) and daily tournaments in the Poker Room.
Chronology of Aviation Club de France:
1907: A group of aviators create a private club located on the Champs Elysées and inspired by English member’s clubs. Since that day, the name has remained “Aviation Club de France.”
1925: The ACF becomes a gaming club and membership is opened to non-aviators on the condition that they be elegant and well-educated to be able to sit down at the bridge or bacarrat tables.
1975: The Aviation Club de France opens its brand new gastronomic restaurant with five Chefs dedicated to members.
1995: The ACF is the first gaming club to welcome a poker room in France. Its increasing popularity reaches Rummy and Backgammon players who discover this yet-unknown card game.
1998: The Grand Prix de Paris poker tournament is a success with the world’s best players, and in 2003, the Aviation Club de France welcomes the World Poker Tour cameras, giving worldwide televised coverage to this prestigious international poker tournament.
2007: For the 100th birthday of the club, the ACF is completely re-designed, giving a very contemporary touch to the luxurious venue. Players and members are thrilled to be provided with even more comfort and services.