Each year thousands of pool players come to Southern Indiana to participate in the Derby City Classic. The Derby City Classic features a variety of competitions including One-Pocket and 9-Ball Banks.
1998 was the year that the Derby City Classic began. 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.
2003 was the second year of the event. The World Pool Alliance sponsored this tournament which featured several top players. The tournament began with nine ball banks. After that, the one pocket and then the BIGFOOT-10-ball challenge followed. The tournament was held in the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana. The event featured many vendors, ring games, cash games, and more. The tournament was played on 53 9-foot Diamond Tables.
A number of players were there for their first Derby City Classic appearance. 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 will receive $16,000 while the winner in the nine-ball bank or one-pocket contests will each receive $8,000. BIGFOOT 10ball Challenge was also the first Derby City Classic event. The winner of that contest receives $16,000, while the winner of the nine-ball bank and one-pocket contests each receive $8,000.
The third event was held in 2006. This tournament saw many players who were playing in their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel and Dennis Grabe performed well in the one-pocket and 9-ball bank events. Other players were not 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.
2015 was the last year of the event. There were many players who had never played in a Derby City Classic event before. Corey Deuel, Darren Appleton, and Lee Vann all played well in their first Derby City Classic event. Joshua Filler, Darren Appleton, and Joshua Filler did well enough to take third place in the one pocket. Efren, Mika and Shane VanBoening were there as well.
The Derby City Classic is an annual pool tournament that is held at the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino in Elizabeth, IN. There are many disciplines to the competition, including nine-ball bank, one-pocket and BIGFOOT 10-ball. The event takes place in January. Tickets are available from January 20th. Tickets can also be purchased at Derby City Classic, located at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino & Hotel. To purchase a ticket, you will need to be able show a valid photo ID.