The team and I have just necked down a beer and a bite after completing Day 1a and 1b of the 2009 Aussie Millions Event 1: $1,100 No Limit Hold’em.

Setting a guarantee is always dicey, but Crown eclipsed the $500,000 mark by over $730,000 and are paying the top 78 with a first prize of $150,000. 112 remain of the 731 starters with local cash game player Dean Blatt leading them into Day 2 with a tidy 145,300 in chips. However what I really want to share with you is a hand I wrote near the close of play to see Blatt surge to the chip lead.

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care of PokerNews
Steicke Eliminated As Blatt Confirms Chip Lead
Dean Blatt opened to 5,000 from under-the-gun and with it folding round to David Steicke in middle position he popped it up to 15,000. A short-stacked player in the small blind moved all in for his last 4,400 and then the action was back on Blatt.

Blatt stood up from his chair and hesitated slightly before announcing, “I’m all in” for a total of 82,000 and some change. Steicke sat there looking Blatt up and down from under his colourful pink hat. As a waiter delivered him a beer, he took a big sip never taking his eyes off Blatt. Following a chant from a fellow tablemate of “Skull, skull, skull”, Steicke responded with, “Might have to soon”. He glanced back down at the remaining 28,600 he had in front of him, and then back at Blatt before announcing, “All right, I call”.

Blatt quickly turned over A♥ A♠ and perched his hands on his head in anticipation of taking the chip lead into day 2. Steicke tabled J♠ J♣ and the unknown player turned over A♦ K♣.

The flop came down 2♦ 9♠ 9♦ still leaving Steicke with two-outs and the unknown player a runner-runner draw to out-draw Blatt. The turn of the K♦ changed things slightly, but with the 6♠ falling on the river the pot was awarded to Blatt.

With the unknown player headed straight to the rail, Steicke finished off his beer as he pondered what could have been as Blatt stacked his chips up to over 130,000.

David Steicke Before Elimination
David Steicke Before Elimination

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David Steicke is one of my favorite players on the circuit not due to his skill, but just the way he goes about his poker. He is seen as an Australian poker icon and cult hero with quotes of, “You don’t run like God, God runs like you” directed at him and his unusual style of play. Basically when he re-raises with a gutshot, gets there and then eliminates a player, he will shrug his shoulders in a response of, “Well isn’t that how you’re suppose to play the hand . . .???”. Consequently this is why I love him, and had to hold back the tears as I wrote his bust out hand.

Before I go I would like to send out a huge thank-you to my mate and fellow colleague Heath Chick for helping me iron out some of the little glitches Tilted Behaviour had before launching. Check out his blog at Tassie Devil Poker for a glimpse into the life of a poker player traveling the world and working for PokerNews.