Each year thousands of pool players come to Southern Indiana to participate in the Derby City Classic. This annual event hosts a number of disciplines, including One-Pocket (9-Ball Banks), 9-Ball Banks, and the BIGFOOT 10-ball challenge (10-ball).
The Derby City Classic first took place in 1998. Greg Sullivan is the tournament's founder. He was a lifelong admirer of the Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree of 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.
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-ball banks. Next came the one-pocket challenge and the BIGFOOT 10-ball contest. The tournament took place in Elizabeth, Indiana at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino. The event featured a variety of vendors, ring and cash games, as well. The tournament was held on 53 9-foot Diamond tables.
The tournament saw a lot of new players making their Derby City Classic debut. Aside from the tournament, the event also featured a number of special events, including the Diamond Ten-Foot challenge, a small field of pros. The challenge is played on five-foot-by-ten-foot tables. The winner is awarded $16,000 and the winners of the nine-ball banking and one-pocket contests each get $8,000. The BIGFOOT 10-ball challenge was also the first event of the Derby City Classic, and it is a small field of professionals who are competing for the title of BIGFOOT champion.
The third event was held on June 6, 2006. The tournament featured a number of players who had been in the field for their first Derby City Classic event. Corey Deuel Dennis Grabe and Lee Vann were all successful in the one-pocket event and 9-ball banks. The other players were not quite 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 event was the last. A number of players participated in the tournament, many of whom had been playing for their first Derby City 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. It features a number of disciplines of competition, including nine-ball banks, one-pocket, and the BIGFOOT 10-ball challenge. The event will take place in January. Tickets go on sale starting 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.