Before we can answer these two questions, we need to discuss what exactly a Sneaky Pete pool cue is. To be honest, until about three years ago I had no idea what people were talking about when they referred to these elusive pool cues. So I took it upon myself to do some research and see if I could find one.
Luckily I know a guy who had one in his case at the local pool hall. He asked myself, “why is this guy so protective of the house pool cue?” To my surprise, it wasn’t a house sign at all, but what I affectionately called his secret weapon. He finally let me look at it. Sure it looked like a house pool cue, but there was something definitely different about it. He took it from me, gave it a gentle twist and it broke into two pieces. You could have knocked me down with a feather! I thought he was killing me and my Meucci with a pool cue.
I went to the local pool dealer and found that Sneaky Pete and bought it. When I go to the pool hall, the first thing I do is pick up the Sneaky Pete pool cue and let people think I have a house cue.
So I started to wonder, how did he get his name? Well, the obvious answer was its appearance, but was there anyone out there who gave this sign a name? It’s a topic of debate among pool players, but after extensive research, one name consistently came up as the guy who made the Sneaky Pete pool cue.
There was a guy in the early 20th century who was a hustler and liked to play pool for money. He frequented a local pool hall. According to legend, Peter Anthony Crisafi found a pool cue he liked so much in that pool hall that he stole it. He had it cut in half and made it so he could screw himself back on. Anyone can guess if there is any truth to this, but the story is fantastic and I’ll stick with it.
