Santosh pathak at 14:21, 4 March 2026

2026-03-04T14:21:40Z

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{{Short description|Indian poker player (born 1991)}}
{{Undisclosed paid|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox poker player
|name=Nikita Luther
|nickname=
|image=Nikita Luther 2019.jpg
|caption=Luther in 2019
|birth_place= [[New Delhi]], India
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|df=yes|1991|01|17}}
|updated = 9 June 2025
|wsop bracelet count=1
|wsop final tables=1
|wsop money finishes=14
|wsop main event best finish rank=96th
|wsop main event best finish year=2023
|wpt titles = 0
|wpt final tables = 3
|wpt money finishes = 4
|ept titles = 0
|ept final tables = 0
|ept money finishes = 4
}}
'''Nikita Luther''' (born 20 January 1991) is an Indian professional poker player based in Greater Kailash, [[New Delhi]].<ref name="newindianexpress.com">{{cite web |last1=David |first1=Shantanu |title=Going all in: 28-year-old Nikita Luther a math nerd but also India's finest female poker player |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2020/Jun/18/going-all-in-28-year-old-nikita-luther-a-math-nerd-but-also-indias-finest-female-poker-player-2158077.html |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |date=18 June 2020}}</ref>

Nikita is the first Indian female poker player who won a bracelet in the [[2018 World Series of Poker]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kasturi |first1=Charu Sudan |title=Game over for India's booming online gaming Industry? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/1/26/holdis-it-game-over-for-indias-booming-online-gaming-industry |website=[[Al Jazeera English]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Poker is a mental sport and women have no disadvantage: Poker champ Nikita Luther - CNBC TV18 |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/buzz/poker-is-a-mental-sport-and-women-have-no-disadvantage-poker-champ-nikita-luther-4944491.htm |website=[[CNBC TV18|CNBCTV18]] |language=en |date=26 December 2019}}</ref>

Currently, she is mentoring her insights at the ‘Super Bowl’ of poker championship in India and COO of Poker Sports League.<ref name="ix">{{cite web |last1=Sen |first1=J. D. |title=Cash me in! Introducing the new-age high-flying Indian poker champion celebrity lifestyle |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/life-style/society/2019/Mar/20/cash-me-in-introducing-the-new-age-high-flying-indian-poker-champion-celebrity-lifestyle-13511.html |website=Indulgexpress |language=en |date=20 March 2019}}</ref><ref name="tele">{{cite web |title=Ace up her sleeve |url=https://obeta.ttef.in/education/ace-up-her-sleeve/cid/1674042 |website=[[The Telegraph (India)]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Nikita Luther was born into a military family and raised in [[Delhi]]. She completed her schooling from "Sanskriti School", Delhi followed by a bachelor’s degree from [[Delhi University]].<ref name="adda">{{cite web |title=Nikita Luther - Female Indian Poker Player - Adda52 |url=https://www.adda52.com/poker/players/nikita-luther |website=Adda52.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
Nikita started playing poker on an American based poker platform called [[Zynga]], until finally when she got a chance to play poker at a friend’s birthday in 2015 for real money. After realizing her penchant for poker & she started playing poker full time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who Is Nikita Luther Poker Player? Here Are Her Results! |url=https://gutshotmagazine.com/nikita-luther-poker-player/ |website=gutshotmagazine}}</ref>

She pursued poker because her passion for the game is deeply rooted in her love for mathematics and its logical structure, which she compares to solving intricate math puzzles. She was drawn to the game after recognizing that it wasn’t about luck but a skill-based sport requiring strategic thinking, probability analysis, and psychological insight, qualities she naturally excelled in through her mathematical acumen.<ref name="newindianexpress.com"/>

In 2015, Nikita won her first title which was the ladies' event at the Indian Poker Championship in Goa. She has also made it to the final table of three other big tournaments, finishing second, fourth, and eighth.<ref name="aninews.in">{{cite web |title=Meet Nikita Luther-The girl changing perception of Indian masses about POKER |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/sports/space/meet-nikita-luther-the-girl-changing-perception-of-indian-masses-about-poker/ |website=ANI News |language=en}}</ref>

Luther along with another poker player Raghav Bansal won Macau Poker Cup team event in February 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=MCP 26 {{!}} Online Poker News |url=https://www.onlinepokernews.in/2017/02/48181-2152017/ |website=Onlinepokernews |date=15 February 2017}}</ref> In June 2017, she won 5th place in the Aria Poker Classic Main Event, which awarded her $65,000.<ref name="adda"/>

In 2018, at the age of 27, Nikita won her career's first bracelet at [[2018 World Series of Poker]] (WSOP), Las Vegas, Nevada with her teammate, German Italian poker player Giuseppe Pantaleo. This year, participants from 88 nations entered over 123,000 entries across multiple tournaments. Only one girl, Nikita Luther, has won the WSOP gold championship.<ref>{{cite web |title=India Online Poker Championship rakes in players with rewards |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2021/Jul/15/india-online-poker-championship-rakes-in-players-with-rewards-2330232.html |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |date=15 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="tele"/>

Later that year, she was featured on the [https://gutshotmagazine.com/emag/ourmagazines/gutshot-june-2019/?read-more cover of Gutshot Magazine], a leading poker news and content platform based in India. The cover titled 'Bracelet Buddies' was one signifying the only two Indians to win a WSOP gold bracelet in Las Vegas - Aditya Sushant and Luther herself.

Subsequently she made x final tables throughout her career which included a 2nd place out of 1932 entries in Aria Poker Classic, Las Vegas again posting India’s first 6 figure score in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ben Farrell Wins Zynga Poker WPT500, Nikita Luther Finishes 2nd (~₹75.32 Lakhs) |url=https://pokerguru.in/poker-news/2019-wpt500-las-vegas-nikita-luther-ritesh-shah-ben-farrell/ |website=PokerGuru |date=28 June 2019}}</ref>

Nikita is the brand ambassador of Natural8 India, Asia's online poker room.<ref>{{cite web |title=Putting India on the global poker table: Natural8 India ambassador Nikita Luther takes on heavyweights at the Game of Gold, a first-of-its-kind poker reality show! |url=https://www.passionateinmarketing.com/putting-india-on-the-global-poker-table-natural8-india-ambassador-nikita-luther-takes-on-heavyweights-at-the-game-of-gold-a-first-of-its-kind-poker-reality-show/ |website=Passionate In Marketing |date=24 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nikita Luther / Pro Poker Player / WSOP Bracelet Winner / Natural8 India Ambassador {{!}} Jeff Gross - The Flow Show |url=https://jeffgrosspodcast.podbean.com/e/nikita-luther-pro-poker-player-wsop-bracelet-winner-natural8-india-ambassador/ |website=jeffgrosspodcast.podbean.com |language=en}}</ref>

Nikita Luther can also be seen in [[Karan Johar]]'s [[The Traitors India]], an [[Amazon Prime Video|Amazon Prime]] web series.<ref>{{cite web |title=India's Poker Queen Nikita Luther to Join Karan Johar and a Star-Studded Cast on Amazon Prime's 'The Traitors India'! |url=https://pokerguru.in/poker-news/indias-poker-queen-nikita-luther-to-join-karan-johar-and-a-star-studded-cast-on-amazon-primes-the-traitors-india/ |website=PokerGuru |date=7 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amena |first1=Rasti |title=Karan Johar's The Traitors: Full list of 20 celebrity contestants |url=https://www.siasat.com/karan-johars-the-traitors-full-list-of-20-celebrity-contestants-3098840/ |website=The Siasat Daily |language=en |date=19 September 2024}}</ref> Where she won the show with [[Urfi Javed]].{{fact|date=August 2025}}

== Awards ==
*Olympic Gold Medal with a victory in $1,000 NLH Tag Team Event in Las Vegas in June 2018{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
*2015 India Poker Championship Ladies Event Title<ref name="aninews.in"/>
*2017 Poker Stars Trophy, Macau Poker Cup<ref>{{cite web |last1=bhanushali |first1=aarti |title=Running deep' in the game |url=https://www.asianage.com/life/more-features/170517/running-deep-in-the-game.html |website=Asianage |language=en |date=17 May 2017}}</ref>

==World Series of Poker bracelets==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Tournament
!Prize (US$)
|-
|[[2018 World Series of Poker|2018]]
|$1,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold'em
|$175,805
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikira, Luther}}
[[Category:1991 births]]
[[Category:Indian poker players]]
[[Category:World Poker Tour winners]]
[[Category:Female poker players]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from New Delhi]]

Nikita Luther - Revision history

Santosh pathak at 14:21, 4 March 2026