Ben Spragg

Ben Spragg, widely known as 'Spraggy', was born and raised in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. He initially pursued a politics degree before switching to journalism, film, and TV, graduating at age 22. Spragg discovered poker as a youngster through home games with friends and played semi-professionally while studying. After graduating in 2012, he decided to play poker full-time, a decision supported by his parents. He has stated that he has never had a conventional job, transitioning directly from university to a career in poker and streaming.

Spragg learned the ropes of poker in a friend's garage after university, watching YouTube videos of players tilting. He began live-streaming his cash game grind on Twitch, initially to a small audience. His first tournament win while streaming was a $7.50-buy-in Progressive Knockout event, a victory that gave him immense pride in turning a small bankroll into a larger one in front of his fans. His growing online profile caught the attention of PokerStars, who made him a team ambassador in 2017. Spragg plays exclusively on PokerStars under the username 'Spraggy'.

Spragg's first major live success came in 2013 when he finished sixth in the PokerStars UKIPT Galway Main Event, earning €30,210 ($40,108). This propelled his bankroll and gave him the freedom to play higher stakes online. In July 2020, he banked a career-best online score of $70,633 for winning a $5,200 No-Limit Hold'em event in the Stadium Series. In 2021, Spragg became a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) champion, taking down a $1,050 NLHE PKO for $67,968. He also won WCOOP titles in 2020 and 2021 in front of huge audiences.

In September 2023, Spragg played the UKIPT Main Event in Brighton, outlasting 351 other players to win the £1,100-buy-in event and take home £69,120 ($86,258), the biggest live score of his career. He was heads-up against four-time WSOP bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche. Other notable live results include a 140th-place finish in the 2019 $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) for $35,000, a 49th-place finish in the €10,000 EPT Barcelona High Roller in September 2024 for €19,000, and a 7th-place finish in the €1,640 EPT Paris Mystery Bounty in February 2024 for €18,700. His total live tournament earnings exceed $480,000, with overall live earnings listed at $647,563.

Spragg has won more than $3 million playing online poker at PokerStars. He is one of the most popular poker personalities on Twitch, with over 160,000 followers, and his YouTube channel has over 72,000 subscribers. In 2021, he won the Global Poker Index Streamer of the Year award, recognizing his impact on live streaming. Spragg's streams combine entertainment with education, as he shares jokes, interacts with his community, and explains his thought processes. He regularly participates in PokerStars' World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and other major online series.

Spragg is known for an aggressive and balanced playing style, frequently three-betting and four-betting preflop to apply pressure. Postflop, he leverages position with frequent continuation bets and bluffs. He is adept at adjusting strategies in deep-stacked situations and often discusses Game Theory Optimal (GTO) concepts, demonstrating how to deviate based on opponent tendencies. His relaxed persona sometimes leads to him being underrated as a player, but his consistent profitability and $3 million in online winnings attest to his skill.

In 2021, Spragg married fellow poker player and content creator Marle Cordeiro, now known as Marle Spragg. He is known for his dry sense of humour and humble nature, making him one of his generation's most engaging poker personalities. Away from poker, he enjoys playing DOTA 2 online with friends. Spragg's journey from a friend's garage to PokerStars ambassador and WCOOP champion serves as an inspiration to aspiring online players. He emphasizes the importance of fundamentals, bankroll management, and emotional control, and he continues to help his fans develop their own poker skills through his streams and content.