Meet Muskan Sethi, India's first female international poker player

Lady Gaga isn't the only one winning hearts with her poker face.

Sonaakshi Kohli Sonaakshi Kohli
दिसंबर 01, 2016
She also scuba dives. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/muskaansethi

A beautiful, 27-year old young woman, who happens to be a scuba diver, an artist, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and well, a phenomenal poker player--sounds too good to be true? Well, well, will--this is not only true, but it's simply versatility at its best.

We're talking about Muskan Sethi, India's first and the only female poker player to have played at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament, that too, for two years in a row.  In fact, at Pokerstars Shark Cage (a televised poker show by the world's biggest poker site), she not only played against poker legends like Jason Mercier and Liv Boeree, but also stood second, after successfully bluffing pros like Mike Mc Donald.

Yes, the woman is surely an achiever, but you know what? We have our own reasons to fall in love with her.

She's a Game-Changer, Literally.

Muskan knows her game, and how. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/muskaansethi Muskan knows her game, and how. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/muskaansethi

Breaking news: Poker is not just a Diwali-time leisurely activity, peeps. And for all those who think it's a gamble that's all about luck, here's what Muskan has to say: "Poker can be compared to stock market and chess," 

"It is a dreamer's sport," she told India Today Online.

You know, it's not easy to take the path less trodden, and she confesses that people in India aren't exactly too open to the idea. However, she's hopeful about changing the scenario, and agrees to the fact that people are becoming more accepting of this sport.

She's Giving Us Some Major Career Goals
And she's going places. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/muskaansethi And she's going places. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/muskaansethi

Being a poker player has taken her to places like Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Nottingham, Barcelona, and Prague among other cities in the world--in just the past five years. Now, who doesn't want a career that gives them the opportunity to make a name for themselves and explore the world, all at the same time?

Because She's The Man
You don't exactly expect a WOMAN coming from a well-to-do Punjabi household to play poker and defeat pros like a boss, right? This Modern-Barakhamba-pass-out is doing just that.

So, even though she had a super-cool, supportive daddy dear, who introduced her to the game when she was a child, it wasn't easy for her to find her ground initially. "Usually the poker community treats me like a guy because the poker face is a man's face, an anonymous face. But when they find out that I am a girl, they tell me 'Go back to the kitchen.'" says Muskan.

She's Challenging Norms Like a Total Badass
What prompted her to make this unconventional career choice? Her talent of wiping the table clean every time she sat to play the game. And what prompted her to break the gender stereotypes so unabashedly? Her firm belief in the fact that there's no profession where women can't dominate. Echoing this thought, she says, " Earlier they would not be too keen to have me play with them. But now they know how good I am at the game and enjoy playing with me."

She's Also A Humanitarian
If we weren't impressed already, Muskan has a philanthropic side too. She donates her earnings to Muskan NGO, which was started by her late mother after her name. In fact, being a self-confessed dog lover, she also has an I-phone app, Doggydoo, that deals with various pet-related issues; to her credit.

(Source: India Today Online)

 

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