Why do people use sneaky petes?

alstl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't want to hijack the other thread about sneaky petes, but this question came to mind.

I have yet to see a sneaky pete where I couldn't see the joint. Do people use a sneaky pete to try to trick the opponent into thinking they are using a house cue or because they like the hit of the sneaky pete?
 
You can get a sneaky from a reputable custom maker and it well for the most part hit the same way one of their high end cues will for a fraction of the price, and you dont have to worry as much about messing it up.
 
Icon of Sin said:
You can get a sneaky from a reputable custom maker and it well for the most part hit the same way one of their high end cues will for a fraction of the price, and you dont have to worry as much about messing it up.

right on the money along with selftaught.
 
IMO A Sneaky Pete is a True Players cue.........

It sone you can take to the bars for Bar league or a gamblin session and knock it on hte wall and not really care too much... Its a players cue and its made for playing..... Now I understand the care if it was Scruggs $600 Sneaky then yea youd be careful.............but ya cant keep a cue prestine forever unless your a Closest Champion LOL

I think most people are not that dumb anymore to get confused with a 2piice-1 piece cue.......


I jsut have a certain love for "Sneaky Petes".............
 
price and the simplicity of it. I'm thinking of having one made, I have a real ornate and expensive cue that I might not want to take everywhere.
 
I've seen quite a few that from a couple tables over , you have a hard time finding the joint.

Anywho . . . as most have stated , cost and subtly mostly.

Great hitting cue for a cheap/er price and not big attention getter for a variety of reasons. Theft , action , etc.
 
Because you play 2 balls better with them.
Fancy cues miss more often.
I swear.
Those ivory points and inlays affect your peripheral vision.
 
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RRfireblade said:
I've seen quite a few that from a couple tables over , you have a hard time finding the joint.

Anywho . . . as most have stated , cost and subtly mostly.

Great hitting cue for a cheap/er price and not big attention getter for a variety of reasons. Theft , action , etc.

I don't think much of them, myself. You certainly aren't fooling anyone by using one and they don't have the protection needed to make them last very long. I very seldom will make one although I do make a large number of what I call "not so sneaky petes". Moisture enters a cue through the end grain and on a sneaky pete, this would be through the butt end, the joint end and the shaft end. This is the reason that joints, collars and butt plates have been put onto cues for years. They're there for protection, not just looks. The ones I build have a joint and deco-ring, a collar and deco-ring on the shaft and a butt plate and deco-ring on the end of the cue. These are the main areas that cause trouble - why not protect them?

Dick
 
Icon of Sin said:
You can get a sneaky from a reputable custom maker and it well for the most part hit the same way one of their high end cues will for a fraction of the price, and you don't have to worry as much about messing it up.

I second this.

I got tired of my cues getting banged up playing in bar leagues. I don't care how careful you are the other people aren't.

I don't think anyone judges your playing ability by the cue you use. Most players don't really know what a high end cue is. One of the players in a singles house league bought a new cue that had decals of sharks on it. He was showing if off and bragging about how fancy it was for a cheaper price than a plain cue that only had some points.

Someone asked me how much I paid for my cue and I told them it cost $475. It is a hustler cue made by Perry Weston. He said that he never heard of that brand and that I got screw because it is so plain and wasn't a Meucci

It was actually $450 and then shipping cost.
 
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TheBook said:
I second this.


Someone asked me how much I paid for my cue and I told them it cost $475. It is a hustler cue made by Perry Weston. He said that he never heard of that brand and that I got screw because it is so plain and wasn't a Meucci.
What a genius.
Cuemakers themselves love making sneakies for themselves.
Problem is, as soon as they take it to the hall, someone buys it.
 
If I'm not mistaken, these days sneaky petes can also refer to very plain cues, not just jointer house cues.
 
The Books Cue

Quote:

Someone asked me how much I paid for my cue and I told them it cost $475. It is a hustler cue made by Perry Weston. He said that he never heard of that brand and that I got screw because it is so plain and wasn't a Meucci.

Well it isn't a Meucci :rolleyes:

Tommyd1 :D
 
I started playing in a new league and the place is tight so I'd rather not get my fancier cues banged up by some klutz. Also less likely to get stolen I would guess.

Aesthetics-wise, I think some players like them for their understatedness. I think they feel good when they beat a player with a fancier cue who supposedly takes the game more seriously but can't play as well.
 
I know some hustlers who tell me that in the places they frequent, people wont play for money if you have what they refer to as a "custom cue". Several people just like the way a sneakie hits, as many of them are full spliced cues. The higher end cue builders really don't like to build sneaky pete cues, but they will for certain customers. I also think that someone can buy a new sneaky lets say by Paul Mottey for $550.00, and basically have a very nice looking and playing Mottey for an affordable price.

View attachment 58974
 
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rhncue said:
I don't think much of them, myself. You certainly aren't fooling anyone by using one and they don't have the protection needed to make them last very long. I very seldom will make one although I do make a large number of what I call "not so sneaky petes". Moisture enters a cue through the end grain and on a sneaky pete, this would be through the butt end, the joint end and the shaft end. This is the reason that joints, collars and butt plates have been put onto cues for years. They're there for protection, not just looks. The ones I build have a joint and deco-ring, a collar and deco-ring on the shaft and a butt plate and deco-ring on the end of the cue. These are the main areas that cause trouble - why not protect them?

Dick

Is it normal for a cuemaker to make a sneaky pete out of a house cue?
 
cuesblues said:
I know some hustlers who tell me that in the places they frequent, people wont play for money if you have what they refer to as a "custom cue". Several people just like the way a sneakie hits, as many of them are full spliced cues. The higher end cue builders really don't like to build sneaky pete cues, but they will for certain customers. I also think that someone can buy a new sneaky lets say by Paul Mottey for $550.00, and basically have a very nice looking and playing Mottey for an affordable price.

View attachment 58974

cuesblues, that's a fine assortment of cues there. Thanks for posting the pic!!!

BTW, the major "downside" to owning a sneaky and taking it to bar league is all the goof-balls that come grab it from your Q-holder to break with it thinking it's a house cue :mad: . I've seen this happen on several occasions.

Maniac
 
Sneakys...

I agree with most people above. They are wanted because the owners are more a fan of natural wood beauty, the cue maker, or cost efficentcy! Not because they feel like they can hit an easy mark with one! the terms "Sneaky, Hustler" just throws people off now a days.

When was the last time you saw a man walk into a bar with a full length "Bar style" cue in hand? "Oh I brought this from home off my wall, cause I think its lucky!" Yeeeeahhh sure buddy! :rolleyes:
 
I like how they feel and hit. Like the price, like how they look. Not real big on fancy cues anymore. When I was younger I liked the fancier cues, now just give me something that hits good that I'm not worried about scratching.
 
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