In Real Life: "Bald Spraggy" Makes His Live Poker Debut at RIU Reno
There’s no denying Benjamin Spragg, known to the masses as “Spraggy,” is a good sport. Today, on Sunday he went bald for Day 2 of the Run It Up Reno VIII $440 Mini Main Event. It’s not necessarily by choice though, but rather the result of losing a prop bet rooted in a simple, albeit hilarious, fan-created emoji.
“The first time I saw it an online player had it as his picture on PokerStars,” Spraggy told PokerNews. “He got put on my table and it popped up with me looking bald. Everyone on the table thought it was hilarious. They said I should make it an emote. I contacted the guy who made it and I had it as a Twitch emote. People will post that in the chat for whatever reason – Bald Spraggy.”
Enter Jesse Fullen, an employee of Run It Up who asked Spraggy what it’d take for him to come to Run It Up Reno VIII as “Bald Spraggy.”
"You’re drawing snap-dead because you’ll never make me laugh on stream."
“I’ll do it if you make me laugh [on stream],” Spraggy said. Fullen, who organizes many of RIU’s social events, was up for the challenge.
“What he said was I’ve got the perfect thing and you’re drawing snap-dead because you’ll never make me laugh on stream. I’ve gone months without laughing on stream,” Fullen said. “I decided to try to level him by finding a really horrible joke and it worked.”
So what was the joke that got the unflinching Spraggy to crack a smile and let slip a laugh?
“A man walks into a zoo. There’s only one animal in the zoo. It’s a dog. It’s a Shitzu.”
“It’s obviously not a funny joke, but the idea of him thinking it would make me laugh, almost as soon as I started reading the first line [in the chat] I started laughing,” Spraggy said.
Fullen wasn’t going to make Spraggy shave his head for accepting a bad bet and laughing at an even worse joke. However, he still wanted to punish him. The two came to terms that a Reno-based makeup artist would fit Spraggy with a bald cap he’ll have to wear all day.
“This is going to live on. When people talk about RIU Reno this is one of the things they’ll remember,” Fullen said as he watched the makeup artist do her work.
A solemn-looking Spraggy wasn’t so cheerful.
“Burn all evidence of this day and hope it gets wiped from memory,” he said. “But a bet is a bet, I lost the bet, I’m an idiot for making the bet, and here I am because of it.”
Chances are you'll be seeing more of "Bald Spraggy" as he's expected to make the feature table live stream on RunItUp.TV, or even if he doesn't and busts, don't be surprised to see him tackle commentary duties.
Be sure to follow the conclusion of the RIU Reno VIII $440 Mini Main Event. Not only will it be live streamed on RunItUp.TV, but PokerNews will be offering live updates right up until a winner is crowned. Click here to be check out our RIU Reno portal.
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
