Beneath the sounds of shuffling poker chips and calls for cocktails, a steady stream of classic rock songs have played throughout the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland poker room as the PokerStars 2024 Maryland State Poker Championship plays out.
The songs heard over the poker room speakers so far include The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black," Steely Dan's "Reelin in the Years," an instrumental from the Labyrinth soundtrack and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock ’n’ Roll."
Speaking of Joan Jett, did you know her first band The Runaways featured Jackie Fox on bass, who is the sister of bracelet winner Carol Fuchs?
As a radiologist, Dr. Lara Eisenberg is used to examining patients and reading medical reports. But Eisenberg is doing a different kind of reading this weekend as she picks up tells on opponents and accumulates chips in the $600 Kickoff Event at the PokerStars 2024 Maryland State Poker Championship.
Eisenberg, who in her spare time is a serious poker enthusiast nearly seven figures in Hendon Mob earnings, bagged third in chips in yesterday's starting flight and will likely enter Day 2 of the $300,000 guaranteed event with a top-ten stack.
“It’s been a great event," she told PokerNews after bagging on Friday night. "They always run amazing tournaments here. The table’s been fun. I was at the same table all day and we’ve had a great time.”
When she isn't in the lab at Maryland's Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Eisenberg is likely grinding a tournament at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland or in an online MTT.
“I play as often as I can," Eisenberg said. "I have a full-time job, but the tournaments that they run here are great, and so I’d say I probably play every couple of months. I’d play more if I was retired. Maybe soon.”
“I play quite a bit, so I play online and study a lot. So I’m probably still putting in a few days a month of playing, it’s just not always live.”
Lara Eisenberg
Eisenberg's hours in the poker lab paid off exponentially in 2021 when she took down the WSOP Ladies NLHE Championship for $115,694 and her first bracelet, defeating a final table that included Women in Poker Hall of Famer JJ Liu, PokerStars content creator Marle Spragg and 2023 GPI Female Player of the Year Cherish Andrews.
A little over a year later, she finished runner-up to Stephen Song in the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas for $481,500. Notably, that victory propelled Song to win GPI Player of the Year at the eleventh hour.
"(Those two runs) felt really great," said Eisenberg. "It felt really validating to have a second big win after the first, that was in an open event. So that felt really great.”
While she can clearly compete against the Vegas pros, Eisenberg is most comfortable playing here in her home state.
"Around here it’s all friends and people that you know and see here all the time, which is really cool."
Want to hear more from the accomplished poker player and medical professional?
PokerNews had a chance to pick Eisenberg's brain in 2022, discussing everything from how poker can combat dementia to whether women are wired or socialized to play poker in the same way as men.
“Poker didn’t come up in my world, poker comes up in guy’s world," she told PokerNews in 2022. "A small number of women grow up in households where poker is a regular past time. And, in general, young women don't tend to play poker when they get together as often as young men do. So, the exposure element is a factor."
The sixth and final starting flight of the $600 Kickoff Event at the PokerStars 2024 Maryland State Poker Championship is underway inside Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and it's already shaping to be the biggest flight of all.
Just one level into play, there are already 144 players in contention to put the event far in front of its $300,000 guarantee. We'll know later tonight what the official prize pool will be and what will be up top for first.
The early birds in the Day 1f field include Billy Perez, Manuel DeAlmeida, Sandra Elbaum, Gerald Miller and PokerStars' own David "DavidKayePoker" Kaye, who was also in the action yesterday.
PokerStars ambassador David Kaye
PokerNews' is live reporting the $600 Kickoff Event, so be sure to follow along here.
Don't forget that there is a Gold Pass to the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event in November up for grabs. PokerStars will be awarding the last online qualifier standing the Gold Pass package, which includes travel, accommodation, and the $5,300 tournament buy-in.
PokerNews' live reporters Nick Becker and Tyler Boyer have been hard at work covering the $600 Kickoff Event, including today's Day 1d. Becker recapped the fourth starting flight, which can be read here.
As Day 1e plays out inside Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and the live reporters rest up before covering tomorrow's final flight, take a look at some of the biggest hands from the tournament so far.
A second winner has emerged in the PokerStars 2024 Maryland State Poker Championship in the $400 Limit Omaha 8 event, which had a $20,000 guarantee and drew 40 players.
Coming out on top was Odenton's William Fidel, who defeated Baltimore's Aaron Pinson during heads-up play to take home $7,800. Others at the final table included Joshua Barr (3rd - $2,800), Ralph Grafton (4th - $2,000), Shane Kelly (5th - $1,600) and John Parker (6th - $1,200).
2024 Maryland State Poker Championship Limit O8 Results
The series, taking place at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, will feature over $1.1 million in guarantees and will culminate with a $2,200 buy-in Main Event with a $500,000 guarantee.
PokerNews will be on-site covering the Main Event and will also be providing updates from other events including a $550 buy-in event with six starting flights and a $200,000 guarantee attached and a $1,100 guaranteed four-flight event with a $300,000 guarantee.
Other highlights of the series include a $10,000 guaranteed Pot-Limit Black Chip Bounty event and a $10,000 guaranteed Big O event.
Best of all, the Pennsylvania State Poker Championship gives players a chance to win seats into NAPT Las Vegas in November as PokerStars returns to Sin City.
Action continues at the Maryland State Poker Championship with the $2,200 Main Event next week.
The event not only has a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, but an exclusive Gold Pass added for the North American Poker Tour stop in Las Vegas in November for the winner!
PokerStars ambassador David "DavidKayePoker" Kaye has arrived at the 2024 Maryland State Poker Championship and is currently grinding away Day 1e of the $600 Kickoff Event.
Kaye is primarily an online grinder and cash game streamer but is ready to show that he can compete on the live felt.
As PokerNewsreported about Kaye back in October 2023:
Kaye has gone from live low-stakes cash games to playing and competing against the best cash game players in Michigan and New Jersey on the online mid-stakes scene. Cash games are Kaye’s specialty, and he continues to make a name for himself in those circles — but the PokerStars ambassador has new opportunities to grow his name on the live poker scene and he plans to do just that at the return of the NAPT in Las Vegas in November.
We'll be sure to keep an eye on the PokerStars ambassador as he eyes a deep run in the $600 Kickoff.
With the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) returning to Las Vegas this fall, PokerStars have released information about the new 'Path to NAPT', offering players the chance to win their way to Vegas for as little as $0.50.
Two $600 buy-in NAPT Regional events have also been announced, taking place in Maryland and Philadelphia later this summer. Don't miss the opportunity to get involved in some incredible PokerStars Live events.
Last year Sami Bechahed defeated Jonathan Borenstein heads-up to win the 2023 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event and $268,945. He topped a 1,095-player field to win the first NAPT Main Event title in 12 years.
Want to be part of the next one? Well here's your chance! PokerStars is planning on offering 100 chances to secure a Gold Pass worth $10,000 to the Las Vegas NAPT Main Event.
These coveted passes will offer:
$5,300 Buy-In: Entry to the Main Event of the NAPT.
$2,900 Hotel Accommodation: Ensuring a luxurious stay during the tournament.
$1,800 Expenses: Additional funds to cover travel and other costs.
Path to NAPT
The easiest way to get your hands on a Gold Pass is through the newly-announced 'Path to NAPT'. This offers players the chance to win their way from $0.50 and parlaying smaller wins into larger prizes — and ultimately a Gold Pass to the NAPT Main Event.
How Does the Path to NAPT Work?
Players who log into the PokerStars client will earn a $0.50 Step 1 ticket. These can then be used to enter tournaments that will lead to winning Gold Passes. If you don't have an account, be sure to take advantage of the PokerStars sign up bonus.
Players will also be able to win Silver Passes that will be redeemable for NAPT Regional events and bi-weekly $1,000 satellites to the NAPT.
NAPT Regionals
As for NAPT regionals, two $600 buy-in events have been announced that will take place between July and August.
The first, taking place at Maryland Live!, will run from July 31-August 12. The second runs from August 22-September 8 at Philly Live!
Both events will have six starting flights, with the winners of each Main Event awarded a Gold Pass to the NAPT Main Event in Las Vegas this November.
