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.
In 1998, the Derby City Classic's first event was held. Greg Sullivan was a long-time fan of the Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree in the 1960s and created the tournament. Sullivan partnered up with the Pantone Company to discover the optimal color for pool cloth. Pantone Company's testing eventually led to Tournament Blue becoming the dominant color in professional tourneys.
The second event was in 2003. The World Pool Alliance sponsored the tournament and it featured some of the best players. The tournament began with nine-ball banks, followed by the one-pocket and then the BIGFOOT 10-ball challenge. The tournament was held at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino in Elizabeth. The event featured a variety of vendors, ring and cash games, as well. The tournament took place on 53 9-foot Diamond tables.
A few players were making their Derby City Classic debuts in the tournament. Apart from the tournament there were special events including the Diamond Ten Foot challenge. This was a competition for pros. The challenge is played on five-foot-by-ten-foot tables. The winner takes home $16,000. The winners of the nine ball bank and one pocket contests each take home $8,000. BIGFOOT's 10-ball challenge was the first event in the Derby City Classic. It is a small field with professionals competing for the title BIGFOOT champion.
The third event was held in 2006. The tournament featured many players who had played in their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel (Denn Grabe), and Lee Vann performed well in both the 9-ball banking and one-pocket events. The other players were not as successful. Darren Appleton finished third in the One-Pocket. He also utilized his algorithm well for the Derby Cup, earning him a third position finish.
The 2015 edition of this event was held. Many players were in the tournament for their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel was a good player, as were Darren Appleton and Lee Vann. Joshua Filler, Darren Appleton, and Joshua Filler did well enough to take third place in the one pocket. They were joined by the likes of Efren Reyes, Mika, and Shane VanBoening.
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 held in January. Tickets are available from January 20th. Tickets can be purchased through the Derby City Classic office located at the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino and Hotel. To purchase a ticket, you will need to be able show a valid photo ID.