Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 1000): After losing the first hand of the final table to Ben Savage, Chris Levick quickly made amends by claiming the first scalp of the day in the chase for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne title. Nursing the short stack, Rodney Burles raised to 30,000, Levick popped it to 80,000, the action was folded back to Burles who pushed all-in.

Levick called and showed [qc] [qs], which were neatly placed against the Tasmanian's [10s] [10c]. The board ran out [qh] [2h] [js] [2c] [4c] to send Burles, playing in his first ever live tournament, out in ninth and Levick up to more than 1.1 million - the first player to break the seven-figure barrier.

The verbal sparring is also underway - in a recent hand, Aristidou called under-the-gun for 12k, Lunardi raised to 38k, Gao called from the small blind, then Savage picked up his big blind, added enough chips to call but decided against it, and returned his big blind to the table.

"What's the ruling? How can you do this, you pick up your chips and then fold?" Aristidou queried as he eventually raked in pot. "I just had to go with my gut," was all Savage could offer.

At the end of level 19, Gao (880,000) has edged ahead of Levick (875,000) with Savage also close behind on 840,000. Aristidou (385,000), Lunardi (375,000), Shillig (350,000), Chick (335,000) and Khouiss (315,000) are all separated by just 70,000 in chips.

Seat 1: Heath Chick (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier (283,000 in chips): His role in the local poker media has meant this Tasmanian has had little time to ply his trade on the felt. But given this opportunity, the "Tassie Devil" has rarely been out of the top 10 stacks in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne event, and the 30-year-old brings solid form to the final table after his cash in the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series Main Event back in March.

Seat 2: Rodney Burles (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier (168,000 in chips): It might be the smallest state in Australia, but Tasmania has two representatives at today's final table. He has a lot of work to do as the short stack, but is thrilled to have reached his first major final table. A union official, the 34-year-old qualified for the ANZPT Melbourne event on PokerStars.net. Burles says he feels "fantastic" after nursing a short stack through to the final table.

Seat 3: Sam Khouiss, Australia, (354,000 in chips): One of the Australia's most accomplished and successful poker players, the Sydney veteran's record includes eight final tables at the Aussie Millions and victory in the $1k NLHE event in 2006 plus successive Main Event cashes at the WSOP 2006 and 2007. The 47-year-old father of seven also won the 2001 Australasian Championship - the forerunner to the Aussie Millions. He looms as a real danger at today's final table

Seat 4: Chris Levick (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier (969,000 in chips): Best known for his role in the business of poker through the Sydney-based PokerDome Group and Oz Poker Tour, the 43-year-old father-of-two is starting to make a serious mark on the regional poker scene. He is one of only a handful of players to have cashed twice on the PokerStars.net APPT, and is coming off a 12th-place finish in the recent PokerStars.net ANZPT Sydney event. He enters the final table as chip leader.

Seat 5: Jie Gao, Australia (517,000 in chips): A local Melburnian, Jie Gao has done his city proud so far, ending up at chip leader at the end of day one and continuing his stellar form on the felt, coming into today's final table third in chips on 517,000. The 48-year-old family man is softly spoken, but his style of play has been hard, fast and aggressive, earning him the respect of his tablemates.

Seat 6: Ben Savage, Australia (682,000 in chips): One of the many respected Crown players who've made their mark on home turf in recent years, this 37-year-old sales representative local was runner-up in the 2006 Victorian Championships Main Event (worth more than AUD 80,000) and has since compiled a respectable record including two Aussie Millions cashes. He is third in chips and well positioned for a charge at the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne title.

Seat 7: Greg Shillig, Australia (190,000 in chips): The lone Queenslander to come back into today's final table, the 48-year-old environmental health officer's biggest highlight of the tournament so far was flopping quad fours against an opponent's pocket jacks and doubling through. Shillig, who lives in Brisbane, bought into this event directly finished fourth in the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series Main Event.

Seat 8: Peter Aristidou, Australia (432,000 in chips): This 46-year-old Crown regular has amassed a tournament record up there with the very best local players in recent years. He was runner-up in the 2007-08 Crown Poker Player of the Year, and seven of his last 10 tournament cashes have been final table finishes. A true gentleman off the table, he is a fierce competitor and desperate to break through for his first major title.

Seat 9: Kristian Lunardi, Australia (713,000 in chips): An experienced player despite being the youngest player at the final table at age 22, this university student from Melbourne was responsible for the scalp of 2007 APPT Sydney Grand Final champion Grant Levy and has already had a lot of success playing online, especially in the cash-game sphere. He returns today in second chip position and well placed for a run at his first major title.

The office crowd may be kicking back for a leisurely lunch - you know, sushi rolls, a couple of soy decaf lattes - but it's peak-hour in the Crown poker room in the half-hour before the start of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne final table.

A handful of the contenders are already pacing the tournament floor, slowly gathering their thoughts before the final race to the AUD $158,050 first prize.

It might be early afternoon, but the room is almost filled to capacity thanks to the $550 six-handed event being played as part of Crown's annual Melbourne Poker Championships.

But our focus today will be the third event of the first ANZPT season. Having already secured back-to-back ANZPT cashes, Sydney's PokerStars qualifier Chris Levick leads the final nine players.

It looms as a real test of youth versus experience with the old guard represented by Sam Khouiss and Peter Aristidou up against young guns like Heath Chick and Kristian Lunardi.
Throw in the composed Jie Gao, who's been among the chip leaders almost from the starting hand, PokerStars qualifier Rodney Burles and Greg Shillig, coming off an impressive fourth in the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series Main Event.

Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 1000)
Level 20: 8000/16,000 (ante 2000)
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (ante 2000)
Level 22: 12,000/24,000 (ante 3000)
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (ante 3000)
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (ante 4000)
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 (ante 5000)
Level 26: 40,000/80,000 (ante 5000)
Level 27: 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 28: 60,000/120,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 29: 80,000/160,000 (ante 20,000)
Level 30: 100,000/200,000 (ante 30,000)

Final table

Seat 1: Heath Chick (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 283,000
Seat 2: Rodney Burles (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 168,000
Seat 3: Sam Khouiss (Australia) 354,000
Seat 4: Chris Levick (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 969,000
Seat 5: Jie Gao (Australia) 517,000
Seat 6: Ben Savage (Australia) 682,000
Seat 7: Greg Shillig (Australia) 190,000
Seat 8: Peter Aristidou (Australia) 432,000
Seat 9: Kristian Lunardi (Australia) 713,000

What we thought might be a short and sharp sprint to the final table turned into a marathon battle of wit and will before the final table was decided for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne tournament.

More than 13 hours after the first hand was dealt to the 69 players who started day two, the nine players who will contest today's final table were decided, led by PokerStars qualifier Chris Levick from Sydney.

Day two ended in dramatic fashion when Ben Savage bet 45,000 and Peter Kotsiris pushed in his last chips, with Rodney Burles also making the call. The board of [3h] [8d] [ks] [3d] [9d] was checked all the way until Savage bet 45,000. Burles mucked, Kotsiris showed pocket 10s but Savage revealed [3c] [3s] for quads!

Earlier, Tony Hachem has set a record that may take some beating after celebrating his third cash in as many PokerStars.net ANZPT events. The PokerStars.net Team Australia player added 16th-place in Melbourne to his 13th in Adelaide and 17th in Sydney.

The end came for the younger brother of Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem when he pushed in his remaining 90,000, with Greg Shillig making the call. Hachem showed [8c] [8d] but could only grin when Shillig showed [ac] [as], The board fell [6c] [qh] [9s] [2h] [2d] and Hachem was headed for the Las Vegas Bar here in the Crown poker room.

Shortly after, 2008 Aussie Millions sixth-place finisher Antonio Casale bowed out in 15th when his chips went in on a board showing [6h] [qs] [6d] [5d].

Chris Levick showed [kd] [qh] for two-pair, while Casale's [ah] [kh] needed help. The [10d] on the river sent him to the cage but continued an impressive run for the veteran in his home poker room over the past 18 months.

The gallant run of Amanda Simpson ended in 14th when she ended up in a three-way pot with Jie Gao and Salvatore Fazzino. Gao's bet of 35,000 on the flop of [10d] [8d] [3d] was enough to push Fazzino aside, leaving Simpson's [jd] [qs] up against Gao's [10d] [jc]. The board ran out [4s] [5c], and the final female player in the field was out.

"Irish" Trevor McCarthy lost a race with pocket threes against Lunardi's [qc] [jc] to send him to the rail in 13th as Lunardi stormed to a big chip lead.

The run of former chip leader Brent Thomas ended in 12th when his [kc] [9h] made two-pair on a board of [qs] [9s] [5s] [kh] only to find Chris Levick with [js] [6s] and a made flush.

Salvatore Fazzino's short stack then came under attack - his [ks] [10s] was in a world of hurt against the [ah] [qh] of Ben Savage and Jie Gao's [as] [4s] on a board of [9c] [ad] [6s] [7c] [2h] as he exited in 11th.

The final table is scheduled to start at 2pm local time (3am GMT) and will comprise:

Seat 1: Heath Chick (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 283,000
Seat 2: Rodney Burles (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 168,000
Seat 3: Sam Khouiss (Australia) 354,000
Seat 4: Chris Levick (Australia) Pokerstars Qualifier 969,000
Seat 5: Jie Gao (Australia) 517,000
Seat 6: Ben Savage (Australia) 682,000
Seat 7: Greg Shillig (Australia) 190,000
Seat 8: Peter Aristidou (Australia) 432,000
Seat 9: Kristian Lunardi (Australia) 713,000

We're in the money at Crown where John Joannou has earned the unwanted title of bubble boy in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne event.

The last of his dwindling stack went in with [ad] [8s], Jie Gao slammed over the top all-in with [as] [qs]. Sam Khouiss thought before folding his [ah] [kh], which would have taken the lot on a board of [6h] [jc] [3d] [10s] [5h].

Earlier, PokerStars qualifier Daniel Laidlaw ran his [ks] [qs] into the [ac] [kc] of Chris Levick, with the Sydneysider's hand holding up as the board showed [jc] [7s] [4d] [7c] [ad].

David Zhao made it back-to-back ANZPT cashes when he was KOed in 18th. With the blinds at 4000/8000 with a 500 ante, Salvatore Fazzino raised in early position to 24,000.

Rodney Burles then made it 65,000 to go and Zhao moved all-in over the top from the big blind. Fazzino got out of the way as Burles made the call and revealed pocket jacks. Zhao silently stood and turned over his pocket nines. The flop came down [qh] [qc][jc] - the [6h] appeared on the turn, signalling Zhao's move to the cage to collect AUD $5450.

Just as the players were leaving to stretch their legs, we lost another player in Lance Pattison as his pocket queens ran into Kristian Lunardi's pocket aces. The rockets held, sending Patison packing.

Lunardi has regained the chip lead on 680,000 ahead of Brent Thomas (600,000), Jie Gao (420,000), PokerStars qualifier Rodney Burles (400,000) and Sam Khouiss (320,000).

We're in the money at Crown where John Joannou has earned the unwanted title of bubble boy in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne event.

The last of his dwindling stack went in with [ad] [8s], Jie Gao slammed over the top all-in with [as] [qs]. Sam Khouiss thought before folding his [ah] [kh], which would have taken the lot on a board of [6h] [jc] [3d] [10s] [5h].

Earlier, PokerStars qualifier Daniel Laidlaw ran his [ks] [qs] into the [ac] [kc] of Chris Levick, with the Sydneysider's hand holding up as the board showed [jc] [7s] [4d] [7c] [ad].

David Zhao made it back-to-back ANZPT cashes when he was KOed in 18th. With the blinds at 4000/8000 with a 500 ante, Salvatore Fazzino raised in early position to 24,000.

Rodney Burles then made it 65,000 to go and Zhao moved all-in over the top from the big blind. Fazzino got out of the way as Burles made the call and revealed pocket jacks. Zhao silently stood and turned over his pocket nines. The flop came down [qh] [qc][jc] - the [6h] appeared on the turn, signalling Zhao's move to the cage to collect AUD $5450.

Just as the players were leaving to stretch their legs, we lost another player in Lance Pattison as his pocket queens ran into Kristian Lunardi's pocket aces. The rockets held, sending Patison packing.

Lunardi has regained the chip lead on 680,000 ahead of Brent Thomas (600,000), Jie Gao (420,000), PokerStars qualifier Rodney Burles (400,000) and Sam Khouiss (320,000).