Muskan Sethi on the Future of Indian Poker
Muskan Sethi's earliest poker cash here in Goa, India came back in 2016. Since then she's seen the poker scene grow to have its own WPT stop since 2017.
Earlier this year she was recognised by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, along with 111 other women, for being the first in their respective fields. She was recognised for being India's first female poker pro.
Now she's back for the 2018 instalment and although busting Day 1a, she's enjoying being back among her "poker family" as she calls it.
"All the poker players from all over the country come down for events, especially the WPT. I've been here a lot; it's like a family to me. Before the WPT there were the Deltin Poker Tournaments and the Indian Poker Championships, so there have been a lot of festivals that have happened.
"Everyone looks forward to playing live events, it's such an amazing experience coming out here and catching up with people. You see everyone again, and it's really like a sports day for us!"
With the inaugural WPT attracting 527 entrants, the tournament is already on course to break that record. Sethi says that the players she has been around recognise how prestigious the tournament is.
"Last year it was more like a surprise to everyone [that the WPT was in India]. We weren't sure if this was a one-off or it was going to become part of our poker schedule throughout the year. It's amazing that we can add this to our yearly schedule, and it's almost become like a poker bucket list item for Indian poker players.
"Becoming a WPT Champion is internationally recognised, and really prestigious. Becoming an Indian champion is an even bigger deal, and I promise you that! No matter if you've won lots of tournaments abroad, you want to become the hometown champion here in India!"
Sethi has cashes from the Netherlands, United States, Spain and England to go with her cashes from India, and is used to playing around people from all over the world.
"You play with a real variety of people at different stops," said Sethi. "You can be at a loud table, but usually you are around robots! Over here it's really like catching up, joking around, and it's friendly and that's really good for us. All the people here have the same dream as you, and they all follow the same passion."
The growth of poker as a sport in India is something that Sethi is optimistic about, especially in relation to the country's sporting appetite.
"In India, we really appreciate it when you see that someone has followed their dream in sport, and can make a good living out of it. Over here Indians love the sport, you just have to look at how we follow cricket and how we start looking up to sport stars or whoever our champion is.
"It's the same with poker; people who are just starting look up to our champions. They look up to Aditya Sushant, Aditya Agarwal, Nikita Luther (pictured below), Raghav and Paawan Bansal. They're poker players who are there and have been really working hard for so many years. They are our GOATs [Greatest Of All Time]; they are the GOATs of Indian poker."
The Deltin Royale is a floating casino in Goa, India and Sethi believes that Indian casinos coming onto land might lead to huge growth in the poker sector in the future.
"If that happens, I feel like we're going to become the base of the new poker boom. Poker players from China go to play in Macau and other places because it's illegal to play in China. If India becomes the latest hot spot, and gambling laws become a little easier on the players, then I think that will happen.
"India is such a beautiful country. There is so much to see and explore that people haven't done yet. It's a beautiful country. This place will be the next poker tourist spot."
The poker boom has been helped in part by initiatives such as the Global Poker League and the Poker Sports League, tying into the Indian population's love of sports and it's devotion to team sports, whether that it is in cricket or kabbadi.
"These poker leagues were on national TV; creating more and more qualifiers. People who dreamt about poker were playing. People compared this game to other sports. They found it exciting; they find the money behind it exciting. They can see the skill involved. If you see a strong team of poker players that do well, they know that they can have one bad day but overall you know they're a good team. In general, I think it's going to be a really amazing sport for India."
Like with many countries, the future of poker and its continued growth in a country is tied into the government and its support for it.
"I feel like our government is scared. There just needs to be responsible gambling regulation that can look after the players who are wanting to play. Poker has never left any country; every region it goes to it's only growing. Even in the United States with Black Friday, there are still people playing at all levels.
"I think we can have really big numbers in the future and I truly believe we are headed there. Just a few years from now. The population is there, the awareness is there, so it won't take that much time for us to solve this."