Blair Hinkle finished Day 1b of the RGPS Council Bluffs Main Event ahead of 39 players and will now have the night off before returning for Day 2 at noon Sunday.
Hinkle, who bricked Day 1a, bagged the lead thanks in part to a 100,000 pot where he flopped top two against a flush draw. Early in the day, Hinkle changed tables with about 12,000 and hit two sets in a row to build up to 60,000 and never looked back -- finishing with 243,000.
Shane Fuller (236,500), Cody Bartlett (212,000), and Michael Childers (200,000) all broke the 200,000 mark but still find themselves well behind Day 1a chip leader Jovan Sudar, who bagged 348,500.
Emily Larson, Mark Barrientos, and Jeff Bryan all hit the rail in Day 1b.
The remaining players will return for Day 2 at noon on Sunday. The players who didn't find a bag yet will have one more chance tonight at 7 p.m. in the 1c flight.