It is to be expected given the locale of this weekend's event that most players in the field on Day 1A would make the trip in from their DMV residence. Although the field is primarily populated with players from the immediate local state boundaries, a few Yinzers from Pennsylvania have jumped in as well.
You may not have heard of Sam Ganzfried, but you have probably heard of his masterpiece, the Heads Up Hold'em bot Claudico. The Computer Science Ph.D. created the bot for Carnegie Mellon University and it has been used to play against some of the best heads up players in the world. When he's not in the literal lab, Ganzfried can be found playing high stakes cash games along with a few tournaments, highlighted by his cash in the Maryland Live! WPT Main Event in 2016.
Fellow Pittsburgh native Keith Morrow nearly made it to the WPT final table stage in Season XIV, when he finished seventh in the Winter Poker Open Main Event for over $130,000. Like Ganzfried, Morrow is a high stakes regular, who plays in the biggest games the Steel City has to offer. His tournament accolades are certainly worth recognition and Morrow is playing this weekend for his first career WPTDS cash.