Each year thousands of pool-players travel to Southern Indiana each year for the Derby City Classic. The Derby City Classic features a variety of competitions including One-Pocket and 9-Ball Banks.
The first event of the Derby City Classic was held in 1998. Greg Sullivan, the tournament's creator was a longtime fan of Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree from the 1960s. Sullivan contracted with the Pantone Company to research the optimum color for pool cloth, and the Pantone Company's testing resulted in Tournament Blue becoming the prevalent color in professional tournaments today.
2003 saw the second event. The World Pool Alliance sponsored this tournament which featured several top players. The tournament started off with nine-ball bank, then it moved on to the one-pocket and finally the BIGFOOT 10ball challenge. The tournament took place in Elizabeth, Indiana at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino. There were many vendors at the event, as well as ring games and cash games. The tournament was held on 53 9-foot Diamond tables.
Many players made their Derby City Classic debuts at the tournament. Apart from the tournament itself, there were a few special events. One of these was the Diamond Ten Foot Challenge. This challenge is for a small group of pros. The challenge is played on five-foot-by-ten-foot tables. The winner will receive $16,000 while the winner in the nine-ball bank or one-pocket contests will each receive $8,000. BIGFOOT-10-ball challenge was the first Derby City Classic event. This is a small field that includes professionals who are competing in the BIGFOOT title.
The third event was held on June 6, 2006. A number of players from the first Derby City Classic event were present at this tournament. Corey Deuel and Dennis Grabe performed well in the one-pocket and 9-ball bank events. Other players weren't as successful. Darren Appleton performed well enough in the One-Pocket to take third place. Appleton also did well with his algorithm in the Derby Cup and earned a third-place finish.
The 2015 edition of this event was held. Many players were in the tournament for their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel and Darren Appleton all performed well in their first Derby City Classic. In the one-pocket, Darren Appleton and Joshua Filler played well enough to earn a third place finishing. Efren, Mika and Shane VanBoening were there as well.
The Derby City Classic pool tournament is an annual event that takes place at the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN. The tournament features nine-ball banks, one pocket, and the BIGFOOT 10 ball challenge. The event is scheduled for January. Tickets will be available beginning January 20th. Tickets can also be purchased at Derby City Classic, located at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino & Hotel. You must be able to provide a valid photo ID to purchase a ticket.