Whether you are a bonafide pool shark, hustling others in the bar or playing professionally for bragging rights, or someone who wants to wow the crowd with extravagance when hitting the cue ball, having the right pool stick is a must. How much is too much when it comes to cost for a piece of wood, however? Here are some of the most expensive pool sticks on the market today...do you have what it takes to show up your pool partner with one of these tools at the table?

Every gentleman plays billiards, but someone who plays billiards too well, is no gentleman. Thomas Jefferson

If you want to appear to be a gentleman at the table, purchasing one of these snazzy cues may help you impress others. One of them may possibly even making others nervous enough to miss shots during their game-play because of the worry that your expensive billiard stick is superior. Check out the competition out there:

  • Eyes Of Picasso
  • Empyrean
  • The Intimidator

A Work Of Art

As recently as last year, an Ebay auction had a small-scale luxury billiard cue go for $9,750 greenbacks. This stick, named "The Eyes of Picasso" was hand-carved by pool stick designer Joel Hercek. While this designer has pool cues for sale for well just around $20,000 in the past, this is a recent sale that caught the eye of collectors and avid art enthusiasts as well. Since it was the most publicized of Hercek's work, it deserves the honor in being mentioned as one of the most expensive, although other works he had constructed had a higher pricetag. The stick was constructed with Pablo Picasso's whimsical paintings in mind. The stick has almond-shaped eyes painted on the handle and shaft, in a pleasing black-and-white appearance. All eyes will be on whoever the lucky dog is who had snagged this auction win.

The Highest Reaches Of Heaven

The "Empyrean", designed and constructed by Joseph Pechauer, is a sleek cue stick made from ebony and ivory. This stick has well over 1,300 inlays, made from abalone, ivory, malachite, and sterling silver. That's a whole lotta precious metals and resources in one thin rod! The stick retails for $50,000, making it a pretty expensive pool tool to have on hand.

A Midevil Masterpiece

The most expensive billiard cue ever created is rightfully named "The Intimidator" and it lives up to its nickname. This pool stick was hand-crafted from stainless steel and looks more like a weapon than a gameplay tool. It boasts four winged extensions in a bladed format that could do some damage to the felt surface of a table if it scraped against it accidentally. This pool stick was lined with over one-hundred polished inlays at the handle and has an Italian obsidian gemstone weighing down the base. 24K gold scrolling adorns the bases of the blades as well. The sight of this cue stick will make others believe a battle is about to be endured. The stick is worth over $150,000 cold, hard dollars, making its price tag comparable to a luxury vehicle or a comfortable dwelling. Unfortunately, there was only one of these created, although replicas are certainly on the market.