Indian Poker Pro Muskan Sethi to be Honored by President of India

The game of poker will likely gain some legitimacy in the country of India when female poker pro Muskan Sethi takes home an honor in recognition of her achievements on the felt.

Sethi is one of 100 ladies due to be feted at the behest of Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, who selected the celebrants as outstanding women achievers who have excelled in professions typically dominated by males. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind is scheduled to hand out the award to Sethi and the other lady winners at a ceremony next month.

"I still can’t believe it," Sethi told Poker Guru. "It’s hard to express how I feel, my journey so far is flashing before my eyes, feeling blessed and really looking forward.”

An article in India Today published last year described Sethi as being “India’s first professional female poker player." The write up mentioned her Moneymaker-like ascension to the ranks of poker professionalism following a victory at PokerStars that sent her to live poker tables in Barcelona.

Some success in live tournament action that included an 8th place finish in the £1,100 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Main Event in February was the result, adding $13,107  to Sethi's live tournament winnings that now stand at $44,310, according to the Hendon Mob database. She's done even better on the virtual felt, racking up $114,597 in online tourney cashes, according to Highstakes DB.

In Good Company

Sethi, who is also an animal rights activist, will collect her ‘Women’s Achievers Award’ in November at a venue and exact date as yet to be determined along with the other "women who have been the first to make a career in male-dominated professions," Gandhi told the Hindustan Times. "We thought it fitting .... to laud their achievement,”  the ministry head added.

Other honorees include Punita Arora, Radhika Menon, Harshini Kanhekar, and Priya Jhingan. Those ladies have all been the first females to break the glass ceiling in their chosen professions, with achievements of lieutenant general, merchant navy captain, firefighter, and Indian Army cadet, respectively.

The profession of poker has never before been recognized by the Indian government, putting Sethi in true ground-breaking territory. While her honor is tied to her gender, the recognition is a huge positive for the game of poker in India overall.

Some Indian states continue to reject the "poker as skill" argument, but may now have to think twice after President Ram Nath Kovind gives Sethi her well-deserved award.