Each year thousands of pool-players travel to Southern Indiana each year for the Derby City Classic. This annual event offers a variety competitions such as 9-Ball Banks, One Pocketet and the BIGFOOT 10 ball challenge.
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 started with nine balls banks. Then came the one-pocket, and finally the BIGFOOT ten-ball challenge. The tournament was held in the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana. The event had a number vendors and ring games. There was also cash game. The tournament was held on 53 9-foot Diamond tables.
A few players were making their Derby City Classic debuts in the tournament. In addition to the tournament, the event featured special events like the Diamond Ten Foot challenge, which was a limited field 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'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. Many players were returning to the field from their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel, Dennis Grabe, and Lee Vann all played well in the 9-ball bank and one-pocket events. The other players were not as successful. Darren Appleton finished third in the One-Pocket. Appleton was also able to use his algorithm well in Derby Cup, where he earned a third place finish.
The 2015 event was the last. The tournament featured a number of players who have been in the field for their first Derby City event. Corey Deuel was a good player, as were Darren Appleton and Lee Vann. Joshua Filler and Darren Appleton did well enough in the one-pocket to finish third. Efren and Mika were also there.
The annual pool tournament, the Derby City Classic, is held at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino 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 be purchased through the Derby City Classic office located at the Caesars Southern Indiana Casino and Hotel. For tickets to be purchased, you must show a valid picture ID.