Hailing from Stroud, United Kingdom, Ben Spragg – best known as ‘Spraggy’ – has risen through the ranks to become one of the most famous names in online poker.
Graduating from university in 2012, Ben has played poker full-time ever since. He caught the bug playing in his friend’s garage and watching YouTube videos of players tilting. Not too long after, Ben experienced success in the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Galway Main Event in 2013, where he managed to take sixth place for a cool €30,000.
It’s his achievements and daily interactions with fans on his Twitch streams, however, that satisfy him the most. To overcome the poker grind, he loves being able to entertain his fans, share jokes and have a laugh with his community, with his natural talent as a streamer resulting in him winning the Global Poker Index Streamer of the Year award in 2021.
Ben still remembers his first tourney win while streaming: first place in a US$7.50 Progressive Knockout. Yet it wasn’t the prize that gave him the most joy; it was the pride in turning a small bankroll into a big one in front of his fans. He’s been helping them do the same and develop their own poker skills ever since, and his online following has continued to grow as a result.
Fortunately, he didn’t stop there, and has since had title wins in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) in 2020 and 2021 in front of huge audiences. Despite major wins his commitment to streaming remains unwavering. He also takes time out from playing online to play PokerStars Live events across the world, and when not playing poker he frequently links up with fellow Team Pro member Parker Talbot to play DOTA 2 online.
Being a member of PokerStars Team Pro resonates with Ben because when he started playing on PokerStars, he used the search feature to find players who he looked up to and wanted to learn from. Now part of that very same list, he hopes to help others fall in love with the game the same way he did.
Ben plays online poker exclusively on PokerStars, where he plays under the username ‘Spraggy’.