President’s ‘First Ladies’ Award Recipient Muskan Sethi & PokerStars India Part Ways Ending 3-Year-Long Association

The exodus of Team Ambassadors from PokerStars continues, and the latest player to part ways with the brand is Muskan Sethi (cover image). The poker diva had joined hands with the India-facing PokerStars India in April 2018 and worked closely with the brand to promote poker in the country.

Sethi tweeted about her exit from Team Red Spade on January 27.

It’s time to turn the page and start the next chapter in my life. Thank you for an exhilarating experience,
It was a pleasure working with Team @PokerStars & @PokerStarsIN ️
All the best #newbeginnings

— Muskan Sethi (@muskaansethi) January 27, 2021

Many from the domestic and international circuit wished Sethi luck for starting a new chapter of her poker journey.

To new adventures which I am sure you will crush! Keep shining and keep being blessed!

All the best my friend!

— Nikhil Segel (@NikhilSegel) January 27, 2021

Best of luck to you with your next chapter!

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) January 27, 2021

Had such a great time working with you!!

— Arlie Shaban (@ArlieShaban) January 27, 2021

Good luck Muskan in your next chapter!

— Nipun Java (@nipunjava) January 27, 2021

You did great..upwards #muskutv

— vikram (@vickysaint84) January 27, 2021

Wishing you the best!

— Jeff Gross (@JeffGrossPoker) January 27, 2021

Best of luck in your next adventure.

— Maureen B. (@mjbloech) January 27, 2021

In their official statement, PokerStars announced: “After 3 years as a PokerStars India Ambassador, today we say farewell to Muskan Sethi. Thanks for everything you’ve done for PokerStars and growing the game of poker in India. Farewell, but not goodbye.”

After 3️⃣ years as a PokerStars India Ambassador, today we say farewell to Muskan Sethi (@muskaansethi).

Thanks for everything you’ve done for PokerStars and growing the game of poker in ?? India. Farewell, but not goodbye. ️ pic.twitter.com/NvqnEcxdnl

— PokerStars India (@PokerStarsIN) January 27, 2021

Sethi was the second Indian player to be appointed a PokerStars India brand ambassador after poker icon Aditya Agarwal, who joined Team Red Spade in January 2015. The Kolkata-born poker pro ended his association with PokerStars in December 2019.

Emergence as a Poker Pro

Sethi first grabbed the headlines in 2014 after qualifying for the PokerStars Shark Cage TV show in Barcelona. Her first live score came in the $235 NLH Ladies event at the $235 No-Limit Hold ’em Ladies in June 2014, where she finished 10th for $435.

Her most cherished accomplishment to date came in January 2018, when she was conferred with the “First Ladies” award by the Honourable President of India Ram Nath Kovind. She was among 112 women to be felicitated for breaking stereotypes and carving their way to success in unconventional fields.

Representing PokerStars India & Promoting Responsible Gaming

After poker icon Aditya Agarwal, Sethi became the second Indian pro to become a PokerStars India Team Pro.

On December 26, 2018, Sethi won her career-first live title at the 2018 GUKPT Boxing Day Special NLHE for £4,900 (₹4.34 Lakhs).

In 2019, she was appointed the Responsible Gaming Ambassador for the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF).

The PokerStars Exodus

Over the past few years, the PokerStars Team of Ambassadors has witnessed a slew of established and upcoming names part ways with the brand. In 2019, the poker giant witnessed an exodus of brand ambassadors – all of the superstars – and this included six-time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, who parted ways with the brand after a 12-year-long partnership.

PokerStars started 2021 by bidding goodbye to former WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker, who had represented the brand for 17 years. Following his departure, prominent poker pro Celina Lin, along with the three-member OP-Poker team comprising Nick Walsh, James Mackenzie, Eva Reberc, and Russian online poker phenom Mikhail Shalamov also publicly ended their association with PokerStars.

For the past few months, PokerStars has adopted a strategy of bringing onboard celebrity brand ambassadors with more mass-appeal than pro players with a strong connect in the poker community. It’s precisely for this reason, PokerStars India onboarded former Indian cricket caption M.S. Dhoni as a brand ambassador in April 2020. Before Dhoni, Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui had been appointed the site’s first celebrity brand ambassador in March 2019.

Meanwhile, Brazilian football star Neymar Jr has also re-joined PokerStars as their sporting ambassador in December 2020.

Up until a few years ago, PokerStars was considered the Megatron for poker pros, with as many as 50 pro players on the pro roster at one point. The site’s taken a very different route in recent years as after Sethi’s exit, the pro team is now down to single digits. Poker pros still on the roster include Lex Veldhuis, André Akkari, Ramón Colillas, Jennifer Shahade, Ben Spragg, Fintan Hand, Felix Schneiders, Arlie Shaban, and Mason Hughes.