With a guaranteed prize pool of half a million dollars, there was always going to be a massive field for Event One of the 2009 Aussie Millions. A new record of 731 entrants smashed the guarantee by almost a quarter of a million dollars. Only 110 players returned to the Crown Poker Room for Day Two of Event #1 - $1,100 No Limit Holdem, all of who were eyeing off the first place prize of $150,000.
Dean Blatt started Day Two as chip leader, but it was Christian Heich from Germany who emerged as the first winner of the new Aussie Millions championship rings.
Local favorites Eric Assadourian, David Saab and Jamie Pickering were sent packing early in the game. Emad Tahtouh also found the rail before the money bubble burst.
Amongst those who made it through the burst bubble were experienced veterans like Sam Khouiss who had nursed his short stack through the ever increasing blind levels, Steve Topakas winner of the HORSE event at the Joe Hachem Deepstack Series, Steve Bouya runner up in the 2006 Victorian Poker Championship Main Event, and a handful of rookies including Paul “Rocky” Rochford, Dean Blatt, David Griffiths, Scott Peters and Germanys Christian Heich who was playing his first ever tournament at Crown.
When Naz Sibaei busted in 11th place (taking home $6,579) the decision was made to condense to one table of 10 players rather than play hand-for-hand on two short tables.
The final-table seating assignments looked like this:
Seat 1: Scott Peters (134,000)
Seat 2: Christian Heich (596,000)
Seat 3: Steve Topakas (446,000)
Seat 4: Dean Blatt (113,000)
Seat 5: Sam Khouiss (176,000)
Seat 6: Clint Jordanou (204,000)
Seat 7: David Griffiths (674,000)
Seat 8: Steve Bouya (750,000)
Seat 9: Ismail Ismail (80,000)
Seat 10: Paul Rochford (490,000)
Players dropped of fairly quickly with the eliminations of Scott Peters ($9,403) Dean Blatt ($11,965) David Griffiths ($16,130) Clint Jordanou ($25,585) leaving five players to fight it out at the next break. Sam Khouiss who had hung on for dear life on several occasions was the next to go collecting $36,550 for his troubles and with the eliminations of Paul Rochford ($51,170) and Steve Bouya ($73,100) this left Steve Topakas and the young German Christian Heich to fight it out for the title..
After roughly an hour of heads up play, Heich flopped a set of Jacks and instantly called the all in bet of Steve Topakas who had flopped a double belly buster straight draw. Steve failed to improve and it was all over, with Heich collecting AU$150,000 and the first Aussie Millions championship ring made by Poker Allure, valued at over $4,000.
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