Alex Orenczuk
•8/17/2026
NAPLES, Fla. - Less than three years after first picking up a pool cue on a night out with a friend, Naples pool player Megan Englehart is preparing to test her game against players from across the country at the USA Pool League National Championships in Las Vegas.
Around local pool halls, Englehart is better known as “Peanut”, a nickname that has grown into her billiards brand, The Pool Peanut.
“I am known for hitting the balls very fast, and I'm also known for being a little bit of a show-off,” Englehart said.
Englehart said she had no idea how large a role pool would eventually play in her life when she first tried the game.
“My mind just goes a million miles an hour, and when I'm on the table, everything is quiet,” Englehart said. “There's peace, there's nothing in my mind except for what ball am I gonna hit? How should I hit it? You know, what's my leave gonna look like for the next person? And it's therapeutic to me.”
As her game developed, Englehart also began sharing it online. What started with trick shots and pool videos has grown into The Pool Peanut, where she posts gameplay, works with others in the billiards community and has built a following around her journey.
“It's been very fun. I started it just, uh, doing silly little videos and me doing trick shots and fun pool shots, and it grew into something bigger than pool,” she said.
Englehart said that platform has also allowed her to connect with people who relate to experiences she has shared involving Crohn's disease and seizures. She also hopes her growing profile can provide more representation for women in a sport she says remains heavily male-dominated.
“It's not every day that you see a lady walk into a pool hall with a pink cue case,” Englehart said.
Now Englehart is preparing for the biggest test of her game yet.
“When I first started pool, I learned about the Vegas National Championship, and I said, I'm going to be there. I am going be there in 10 years, and I've managed to do it in three,” Englehart said. “I said I wasn't going to go to Vegas until I truly felt like I deserved it, and I was ready. And I feel more than ready to go to Vegas.”
Her next goal is even bigger.
“Next step is worlds,” Englehart said.
