088 - Lara Eisenberg - Balancing Poker & A Conventional Job

In this episode, Lara Eisenberg, radiologist and semi-professional poker player, reveals how competitive skydiving and pool have helped train her mind to remain calm and focused, thus giving her a competitive edge against the pros. Elliot and Lara discuss how she balances work, play, continued poker education, and a happy personal life. Listen in to hear a well-rounded semi-pro share what she does to keep her mindset steady, her body healthy, and her poker game strong.

Visit The Mindset Advantage Podcast or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Elliot Roe. 

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:50 – Introducing Lara, a semi-professional player and radiologist
• 01:30 – She started with online PC gaming and taught herself by reading books on poker
• 02:36 – She uses the A-Game planner to organize her studying schedule and studies 5-10 hours a week
• 03:23 – As a working person, you must be creative when finding time to learn; you can listen to audio while driving or watch videos while doing chores
• 04:20 – On sitting at the table with professional players
• 04:36 – She doesn’t get intimidated and knows to put into action what she has practiced
• 05:15 – What bothers her making mistakes when she knows better
• 05:45 – Being a female player in the male-dominated sport of poker
• 05:50 – She’s always been drawn to fields that are male-dominated like medicine (although there are more women now), pool, skydiving, and poker
• 06:15 – There are advantages and disadvantages to being a woman in these fields, but she’s always been very competitive
• 06:48 – The more poker is appealing to a wider group of people, the better it is for all players; help make poker more appealing by being friendly and welcoming
• 07:38 – Lara doesn’t get phased by anger or rudeness at the table; she notices that the higher the skill level at the table, the lesser the players will make assumptions
• 09:00 – How she juggles work and play: She works from home and works every other week, so she can attend plenty of events
• 10:00 – In Maryland she’s lucky to have plenty of places to play nearby; she believes her location is better than Vegas because of the bigger games that happen more frequently
• 11:35 – Cash-stake games in Maryland
• 11:38 – The biggest she’s played is 510 but there are limit games that are bigger, people move near the MGM because of the tourist element
• 12:35 – The re-growth of live poker; Lara believes that the U.S. should have online poker and tax it
• 13:40 – How competitive skydiving has helped Lara cope with emotions
• 14:05 – She read the book, “Mental Training for Skydiving and Life,” which taught her meditation, visualization, calmness, and peak performance
• 14:44 – She has 4,500 jumps, so the danger element has gone away
• 15:00 – Skydiving has helped her poker game because she can better look for an edge, focus, and remain calm
• 15:39 – Having a short attention span is a big challenge at the table today
• 16:15 – Lara fits studying, nutrition, exercise, and mental health exercises into her workweek and play week
• 18:55 – The winning mindset and being driven to succeed
• 19:22 – Certain people get obsessed with things and want to be the best; there’s a balance needed between that and other important things in life
• 20:24 – It’s ok to play within your means and recognize that you aren’t a professional player playing high-rollers if you have a full-time job
• 22:00 – Poker as recreational: You can have a job and be a winning player if you invest time and money in educational tools and coaching
• 22:30 – If you don’t have as much time to invest in playing, you should invest in educational things that save you time like the Mindset Advantage or Elevate Groups
• 23:18 – Alex Fitzgerald has been her coach for years and she appreciates the individualized feedback

3 Key Points

1. You can still have an edge at the table as a semi-professional.  
2. Get your studying in by whatever means necessary; even if that means listening while driving or watching videos while folding laundry.  
3. Invest in educational tools and coaching to improve your game and keep up with the professionals. 

Contact/Resources

• Book – “Mental Training for Skydiving and Life”
• Poker Mind Coach Academy - website
• Elevate Group – website

Credits

Podcast Production, Editing, Show Notes & Transcript by Podcastily