Jonathan Gilliam Leads 41 Survivors on Day 1a of Event #11: $2,700 Main Event
After 15 levels of play on day 1a of Event #11: $2,700 Main Event at the Potomac Winter Poker Open, 41 players remain from an initial field of 223. Of those 41 players, Jonathan Gilliam was able to bag the biggest stack after ending the day on 538,000. Right on his heels is none other than recent winner of of the $5,300 Return event at the Borgata and well known poker pro, Bin Weng (521,500). David Tiller rounds out the top three with a stack of 467,000.
Play remained at a fairly consistent pace throughout the day, with the tournament average stack settling right around the forty big blind mark during the latter few levels. This was not a surprise given that the money bubble will not be burst until the fields from the two starting flights combine on day 2.
There were a number of notables who were able to find a bag at the end of the night, including BetMGM Poker Ambassador Darren Elias (388,500), WSOP bracelet winner James Gilbert (234,000) and three time WSOP bracelet winner Brock Parker (50,500). Jacob Mitich, who was the beneficiary of a bizarre deal that saw him secure first place money without playing a single hand of heads-up poker in Event #6: $400 Monster Triple Stack, was also able to secure a seat in day 2 with a not too shabby stack of 209,500.
Some notable players to enter the fray but not make it to the end of the day include 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen, WSOP bracelet winner Lara Eisenberg and winner of Event #1: $400 Mystery Bounty, Isiah Ditoto. They all have the option to take another shot tomorrow in day 1b should they choose to do so.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Gilliam | United States | 538,000 |
| 2 | Bin Weng | United States | 521,500 |
| 3 | David Tiller | United States | 467,000 |
| 4 | Boris Kravets | United States | 454,000 |
| 5 | Chris Blackmore | United States | 450,000 |
| 6 | Gintautas Putinas | United States | 434,000 |
| 7 | Gary Schoengold | United States | 419,000 |
| 8 | Ryan Dougherty | United States | 391,000 |
| 9 | Darren Elias | United States | 388,500 |
| 10 | Richard Newman | United States | 382,000 |
The 41 players from day 1a will combine with the survivors from day 1b on Sunday, February 5th at 12 p.m. at which point play will continue until the field is whittled down to just six players. The Pokernews live reporting team will be on hand to provide timely and accurate updates throughout Event #11: $2,700 Main Event so be sure to stay tuned.
prompting Elias to go into the tank. He did end up making the call with the effective stack to put himself at risk. 
turn was bad news for Elias, removing his straight outs, but the 
river saw him hit one of the two remaining cards in the deck that would cause his hand to surpass his opponent's in strength to give him the full double and prolong his stay in the tournament.
turn or 
river provided the necessary broadway card for the big blind player, sending him out of the tournament while Liddell collected a sizable pot to go along with the elimination.
and he continued for 1,200, enough to get a fold from his opponent to rake in a small pot.
flop and he continued for 1,200. The small blind called to see a turn. 
for the king high flush. It was not good, however, as McKeehen turned over 
to pip the small blind player to the large pot.
