Derby City Classic

The format can be a little disconcerting since there are so many players and a draw is done before each round of play. This results of this is not knowing exactly when you will play next. You do know how many matches are ahead of yours (assuming the draw has been completed) but no telling how long each match will take. As your match approaches, the info on the TV screen gets more useful. It can really take some endurance to enter and re-buy into each event.

All that being said it’s still my favorite tournament of the year. So many of the best players in the world show up that at any given time it may be hard to choose between watching a one-pocket match with Efren vs Cliff Joyner or a 9-Ball match between Stevie Moore and John Schmidt. For that matter you could be playing any of them. With a draw before each round instead of the usual brackets you could draw anyone of the hundreds of entrants. On occasion you’ll hear of someone drawing the same opponent 2 rounds in a row. Still, there’s something about Derby City that is so… maybe the word is intoxicating (the result of sleep deprivation? lol).

In addition to the tournament matches, there is around the clock action with the famous, the soon-to-be-famous, the infamous and the unknowns to either match up with or watch. I’ve been told that it’s sort of a modern version of the Jansco brother’s Hustler’s Jamboree of the 1960s. The vendors fill the halls and you can find a new cue for under $100 or a used one for many thousands. It is an awesome mix of “all things pool.” The 2008 Derby was the first time I missed it since I started going in 2002. I guess it was held in a new venue. With any luck the overall flavor wasn’t affected.

UPDATE: I just checked out the Derby City site. It will be held at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana. AND they are planning scheduled times for the matches! Cool. I can hardly believe I won't be going (too long and expensive a trip for me). I hope you can, no doubt it will be worth it. Not going to this event is one of the few downsides to living in the Philippines. Here's a link to their site: Derby City Classic.