India is a country of contrasts. $500 a night five-star hotel complexes stand alongside shanty towns where people live in the poorest conditions, and as you drive through the streets of New Delhi, there is a bizarre and almost jarring mix between traditional and western culture. Girls in jeans and sunglasses rub shoulders with contemporaries in saris, and nobody looks twice.
At heart, however, India is very much a country of traditional, some might say old-fashioned values, particularly when it comes to questions of gender equality. The arrival, then, of India’s first female poker professional on the circuit is making waves that go way beyond poker circles.
Inspired by the online poker scene
Muskan Sethi has always had a passion for card games. As a child, she learned card tricks to entertain family and friends, but it was the game of poker that really intrigued her. From a young age, she attended tournaments with her father to watch the professionals in action, but it was the advent of the internet age that inspired her to get involved herself.
In her student years, she began to watch global tournaments on youtube, and to play on Facebook. The proliferation of online poker sites is what made it possible for her to develop her own skills in what is still a male-dominated pastime. Sethi predicts that the accessibility that online poker brings means it will open the game up to more female players, both in India and the wider world.
She told local reporters: “The game is male dominated, but that’s only because most women have not tried it yet. In my opinion, online poker is the best place to start, you can enjoy it alongside any other commitments you may have, as a recreational hobby, that is relaxing and can be rewarding.”
Sethi is currently in Las Vegas, and is part of India’s team at the WSOP. But her main focus is on the Global Poker League, and on winning a platinum pass to join the top players in the world at the PokerStars Players Championship, which takes place in the Bahamas next January. Of the 108 players to have qualified so far, only two are women.
Breaking down boundaries
The 28 year old is only too well aware that not everyone will see her success in a positive light and has had to tolerate her share of inane questions and trolling on her Twitter feed.
However, she takes the negativity in her stride, and treats such inane tweets as “Why do you want to gamble for a living? Nobody will marry you!” with the contempt they deserve.
She has also used her profile as an empowered young Indian woman to make a stand in other areas. For example, during the recent Wimbledon tournament, she highlighted the lack of Indian women involved.
The tennis comparison is, perhaps one worth examining more closely. In some ways, Sethi’s profile is similar to that for Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis player whose career will sadly be better remembered for the controversy she attracted and the criticism that traditionalists in her homeland were eager to heap upon her than for her undoubted sporting talent.
A national celebrity
Nevertheless, ten years is a long time, and Sethi is different to Mirza in a number of ways. For one thing, he has the unstinting support of her family, who are all keen poker players themselves. But even more importantly, this is a woman with a nation behind her. Earlier this year, she was one of a number of women honoured by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at the nation’s inaugural “First Ladies” awards.
The ceremony paid tribute to 112 women from a whole range of areas who have challenged traditional stereotypes and forged careers in unconventional directions. To see the nation’s first professional poker player honoured alongside airline pilots, politicians, a racing driver, a mountaineer and even a professional wrestler shows just how much attitudes are changing at the highest level.
Sethi told reporters that she felt proud and honoured to be “counted amongst these strong, beautiful and accomplished women.”
More to come
Muskan Sethi is delighted to see the changing attitudes in her home country. She feels that these, along with the ability for anyone, regardless of age, sex or social background, to play poker online, mean that while she might be the first, she certainly will not be the last female poker pro to come out of India.
She feels that there is no physical reason women can’t be as successful as men in the game, given that success depends on strategic skills and mental capability. As someone who is already being held up as an example and an inspiration, it will be interesting to see how many follow in her footsteps over the coming months and years.
Pencil the Dates for the New PokerStars EPT Season in 2024
The 2024 PokerStars EPT schedule is out, and online qualifiers are running already, giving you a chance to start planning your poker trips well ahead of time.
Don’t Miss Out: GGPoker Hosting a $50K Game of Gold Freeroll!
Watch the latest episode, grab the password, and head over to GGPoker to play for a share of $50,000 for free!
PokerStars Giving Away Free $11 Power Path Tickets This Weekend
Follow PokerStars on Twitter and get involved with the weekend giveaway for a shot at one of twenty $11 Power Path tickets.
PokerStars 2023 UKIPT Ends With the Nottingham Festival
The first full PokerStars UKIPT season since 2016 is officially in the books, and it was a successful one in every which way.
All Set for Day 3 of the NAPT Main Event in Las Vegas
The NAPT Main Event enters Day 3 with 34 players returning to play down to the final table and live coverage of the action available at PokerStars TV.
The 50/50 Series Is Back at PokerStars With $3.5M GTD!
Running November 12 – 19, the 50/50 series by PokerStars offers over $3.5 million in guarantees, including the $400k GTD Main Event.
The 2023 UKIPT Edinburgh Main Event by PokerStars Gets Underway
PokerStars has gathered players of all shapes and sizes in Edinburgh for yet another exciting UKIPT Main Event.
Women’s Bootcamp by PokerStars Wraps Up With Showdown in Cyprus
As the winner of the Cyprus Showdown, Louise Ulrick gets to play in the upcoming PokerStars EPT Prague Main Event.
PokerStars Giving Away Power Path Passes in Mini EPT
On top of over $330k in guarantees, PokerStars is adding a bunch of Power Path tickets and Passes across the 15-event schedule.
Online Poker Industry Demystified: Join Pokerfuse’s Expert AMA.
The collective of seasoned online poker experts at pokerfuse shed light on this fascinating business landscape in an exclusive “Ask Me Anything” initiative.
Bounty Builder Series Is Back at PokerStars This October
Featuring 169 individual events and over $20 million in guarantees, the Bounty Builder series at PokerStars brings action for players of all shapes and sizes.
PokerStars US Set to Shake Things Up With a Team of New Ambassadors
The team of content creators behind NextGen Poker will join ambassadorial ranks at PokerStars US to provide a unique coverage of operator’s live events.
Lucky Player Wins $413K The Deal Jackpot at PokerStars
A lucky player from Ireland caught the big jackpot spin, while all other PokerStars players who participated in the Deal in the last 12 hours banked $31 each.
Follow PokerStars on Twitter & Claim Free WCOOP Tickets
All PokerStars account holders have daily opportunities to win WCOOP tickets without risking a single cent.
PokerStars Introduces Poker With a Twist via Mystery Cash Challenge
The brand new show by PokerStars combines elements of ring games and mystery bounty tournaments into a new and exciting format.
France’s Simon Wiciak Wins PokerStars EPT Barcelona Main in an Epic Fashion
PokerStars wraps up another successful EPT in Barcelona with a Main Event story worth of poker history books.
Watch EPT Barcelona Main Event: Day 3 Live Streaming
Join the excitement as the €5300 EPT Barcelona Main Event enters Day 3, and catch the live streaming coverage.
EPT Barcelona 2023 Main Event Exceeds €10M Prize Pool Again
Maintaining a remarkable trend, the EPT Main Event has achieved an impressive milestone for the second consecutive year, with over 2000 entries.
Get Ready for 2023 WCOOP at PokerStars – $80M up for Grabs
Kicking off on September 10 on PokerStars, this year’s WCOOP will feature 340 individual events and $80 million in guaranteed prizes across the board.
EPT Barcelona by PokerStars Is Just Around the Corner
One of the hottest stops on the PokerStars LIVE calendar is about to start, and there is much more to Barcelona than just poker.