DCC noob questions

Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
I've booked my flights and hotel for DCC this year. I'll be there for a few days (staying at the horseshoe) and I've entered the 9-ball event.

What should I know, as a first-time visitor, spectator, and competitor?
Who else is going?
What's the best way to get from the airport to the casino? Is it worthwhile to rent a car?
Besides the obvious, what should I remember to bring?
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
I've booked my flights and hotel for DCC this year. I'll be there for a few days (staying at the horseshoe) and I've entered the 9-ball event.

What should I know, as a first-time visitor, spectator, and competitor?
Who else is going?
What's the best way to get from the airport to the casino? Is it worthwhile to rent a car?
Besides the obvious, what should I remember to bring?


From the airport: Uber

To the airport: get your Uber driver's number and set something up, Taxi, or hope and pray.

Car: I've rented a car several times. It generally sits in the garage all week.

Remember to bring: Water


I'll be there what's become my usual routine: Tuesday to watch the One Pocket and catch the finals of the Banks, and then leave Sunday early enough to catch NFL football (Superbowl this year).


Freddie <~~~ DCC veteran
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Drink at all? If so bring your own booze and a flask. Just order cokes/mixers. Drinks at the event are high as hell. Just sayin.
 

Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
From the airport: Uber

To the airport: get your Uber driver's number and set something up, Taxi, or hope and pray.

Car: I've rented a car several times. It generally sits in the garage all week.

Remember to bring: Water


I'll be there what's become my usual routine: Tuesday to catch the finals of the One Pocket, and leave Sunday early enough to catch NFL football (Superbowl this year).


Freddie <~~~ DCC veteran

Thanks for the tips. I would also like to catch the one-pocket finals (that's Thursday, no?).
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
As Cornerman noted, don't bother with a rent-a-car. You'll spend less with Ubers and cabs. More than once, I've gone the whole nine days at the Derby without ever leaving the Horseshoe. Coordinate your trips to and from the airport with someone you know to save some money and if you want to go out to dinner with a few friends, you can share the cost of a ride.

The food at the Horseshoe is generally second rate and not a very good value, and the same can be said of the snacks and drinks, but I'd suggest just tolerating it for the length of the nine ball rather than fighting it.

As JAM noted, you'll do a lot of walking, as the tournament room is probably 500 yards from the hotel lobby. Make sure you have comfortable shoes.

I'd recommend carrying a traveling alarm clock.

The one pocket finals are generally on Thursday night.

Finally, come and say hi. I'll be sitting in TV-VIP seat 16 in the main arena.
 
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Andrew Manning

Aspiring know-it-all
Silver Member
As Cornerman noted, don't bother with a rent-a-car. You'll spend less with Ubers and cabs. More than once, I've gone the whole nine days at the Derby without ever leaving the Horseshoe. Coordinate your trips to and from the airport with someone you know to save some money and if you want to go out to dinner with a few friends, you can share the cost of a ride.

The food at the Horseshoe is generally second rate and not a very good value, and the same can be said of the snacks and drinks, but I'd suggest just tolerating it for the length of the nine ball rather than fighting it.

As JAM noted, you'll do a lot of walking, as the tournament room is probably 500 yards from the hotel lobby. Make sure you have comfortable shoes.

I'd recommend carrying a traveling alarm clock.

The one pocket finals are generally on Thursday night.

Finally, come and say hi. I'll be sitting in TV-VIP seat 16 in the main arena.

I was thinking that leaving the horseshoe was probably not going to happen much, so I'm glad to know that Uber works well there and I'll skip the car rental.

Comfy shoes, check (Walter wasn't kidding?)

Second-rate food, check, I've weathered worse.

Find SJM and buy him a round of fine (even if second-rate) Kentucky whiskey, check.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've booked my flights and hotel for DCC this year. I'll be there for a few days (staying at the horseshoe) and I've entered the 9-ball event.

What should I know, as a first-time visitor, spectator, and competitor?
Who else is going?
What's the best way to get from the airport to the casino? Is it worthwhile to rent a car?
Besides the obvious, what should I remember to bring?


By the time the 9ball cranks up, there will be so many players there you will have little opportunity to get on a table to practice, so other than a warm up rack right before a match, be prepared to roll.

Eat at the steakhouse at least once, the food is actually pretty good there.

If you're a light sleeper, have a white noise app on your phone. The walls of the rooms are paper thin.

Bring money for t-shirts and gimcracks.

If you're used to DC drink prices, the prices at the HS won't faze you. They cut off serving drinks at the various bars they set up pretty early. But a walk down to the casino will provide you with 24 hour booze.

Be prepared to stay up late to sweat some great action.

Udder than that, stay relaxed, enjoy, and savor the moment.

Lou Figueroa
 

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
make sure you keep up wit the schedule of playing times
i have seen a lot of people get dqed for not being there on time and they thought they were playing later
i dont know if the schedule changes or what
 

$TAKE HOR$E

champagne - campaign
Silver Member
Everything can be summed up in 4 words, take lots of money. The place is absolutely criminal when it comes to everything. The hotel is a con and the casino is worse. You can go there any other time during the year and stay for less than the "DCC rate". Wear pants with zipper pockets because everytime you turn around they got their hand in them. The food is way over priced and highly sub par unless you want to spend $40 minimum per meal at Binions. You made one smart move for sure by playing in an event, other wise Greg's crew would be wanting jelly just to go to the bar upstairs or use the business center. They'll stop people that are obvious patrons of the casino or hotel and have nothing to do with the DCC. The DCC is the Horseshoe's golden goose and its a fact they make more money in those 10 days than any other period of the same time during the year, and yet they still keep tightening the noose. My room had black mold a few years ago, lots of it, and their answer was they'd offer me a single bed smoking room in exchange. Its in the middle of nowhere and they use that to the extreme, everything is more precious than gasoline in a Mad Max movie.

In short, for those that never made it to the DCC at the Executive you missed a great pool tournament
 
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