Big Names and Big Stacks in Event #2 of the PokerStars Summer Series
Last week the PokerStars Summer Series at Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia kicked off with a great turnout in Event #1. The hopes were high for Event #2: $1,100 No Limit Hold’em and the crowd did not disappoint. Some big names made an appearance, and some big action took place as 20 players found a bag and advanced to Sunday's Day 2.
A total of 156 entrants made their way to the tournament floor to take their shot at the $300,000 guarantee and in just this first flight, half of said guarantee was reached. After the dust Robert Elias was among the chip leaders with a massive 776,000 stack. Elias started slow but gained some momentum late in the day. He rocketed up the leaderboard after he won a massive flip late in Level 12. He will hope to take the run-good into Day 2 with a top stack.
There were multiple players on the heals of Elias by days end including Chan Kim (634,000), Julian Penza (594,000), Kevin Grabel (521,000), Jonathan Stoeber (472,000), and 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen (472,000).
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Elias | United States | 776,000 |
| 2 | Chan Kim | United States | 634,000 |
| 3 | Julian Penza | United States | 594,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Grabel | United States | 527,000 |
| 5 | Jonathan Stoeber | United States | 473,000 |
| 6 | Joe McKeehen | United States | 472,000 |
| 7 | Benjamin Duronio | United States | 463,000 |
| 8 | Michael McNicholas | United States | 414,000 |
| 9 | Jugal Daterao | United States | 382,000 |
| 10 | Joe Cutler | United States | 227,000 |
Speaking of McKeehen, the Philadelphia Local stayed quiet early on as he played off a middling stack most of the day. However, he could still be found putting in the well-timed three-bet in a few instances. Around level 10 he found some steam and began to move up the leaderboards as most figured he would. Expect to see him fighting for pots and the Philly bragging rights on Day 2.
However, not everyone was so lucky. Another Philadelphia local, Bin Weng made his appearance to battle it out for a similar opportunity at the local bragging rights. He was cruising early on, even making a great call with bottom pair early in the day. Unfortunately, some large pots didn’t go his way and he hit the rail before the bags. We will likely see him returning on another flight to take his shot at the $300,000 guarantee.
There are still two flights left to take a shot at this awesome event. If today was any indication, the next two days will be jam-packed with action. Players will be battling for the top spot, the money, and the bragging rights of the best in Philadelphia.
Stay tuned into PokerNews for all the coverage of the last two flights in Event #2 of the PokerStars Summer Series.