As expected, David Steicke rolled over J.C. Tran and Tony Bloom rather quickly in Level 13 to become the 2009 Aussie Millions $100k No-Limit Hold'em Challenge champion.

For this incredible feat, the Hong Kong trader grabbed the $1.2 million first-place prize, a $15k Raymond Weil titanium watch and all the glory of one of poker's most prestigious titles.

Steicke began Level 13 with $1.9 million of the $2.3 million chips in play and it didn't take long for him to get heads-up with an even bigger lead.

Tran Trumped

In just the first few hands following the break, J.C. Tran found himself faced with a pot-sized bet from David Steicke that practically had him covered. He shipped the rest in, Steicke made the call and it was over almost before it started.

Tran's tournament life was riding on K 6, but Steicke had him dominated holding K J. There would be no three-outer miracle for J.C. as the board rolled out 7 4 2 A 8, sending him home third cashing $300k.

As a result, heads-up play began with Steicke on $2.1 million in chips to Tony Bloom's $207k.

Bloom Plucked

After just a few hands of heads-up play, Tony Bloom was forced into a corner and had to make a play. He limped the button, Steicke potted and Bloom was forced to push in. Steicke made the call with just T 3, and it looked as though Bloom might double up with A 4.

The flop came 7 7 6, keeping Bloom in front, and the 6 turn left Steicke drawing to three outs for the win.

Of course, the T river was one of them, and while the 2004 Aussie Millions main event champ took second for $600k, the $100k title was Steicke's.

David Steicke took on 22 of the world's best poker players in the biggest-buy-in tournament on the planet and after two days of play, suddenly found himself on top of them all.

PL.com had a chance to chat with Steicke following the win and we will post the interview and a brief summary of the final table up here before the night is through.

Three-handed play continued in the $100k over the past two hours, as have PL.com's Internet woes.

With Level 12 now complete the players have headed off on a dinner break and play will resume with the start of lucky Level 13 at 10:15 p.m. Melbourne time.

But it may not last long.

David Steicke is absolutely dominating play with better than $1.8 million in chips now to Tony Bloom's $200k and J.C. Tran's $170,000. Bloom had climbed back into it as the 12th level of play began, but Steicke pushed both him and Tran around throughout the level.

Show the Bluff

After David Steicke picked up a $250k pot to knock Tony Bloom back down to size, the biggest hand of three-handed play started off rather small as a three-way limped pot. The flop fell K 8 4 and Steicke fired a $100k bet at the $60k pot. Only Bloom called, and the 6 turn was revealed.

This time Steicke made it $150k and again Bloom flatted. The 9 river came down and Steicke slowly pushed $200k across the line. Bloom pondered the call, but couldn't pull the trigger, and as soon as his cards hit the muck, Steicke showed J T - a stone-cold bluff!

By the time the hand was through, Bloom was down to $400k and Steicke up over $1.4 million and in control.

Steicke continued to push both Bloom and Tran around, putting pressure on them at every turn before Tran tried to make a stand.

J.C. Crippled

A three-way limped pot saw a flop of K J 8 and J.C. Tran sent out a $30k bet following a Tony Bloom check. Steicke just called and after Bloom mucked, the 7 turn came down.

This time Tran bet $65,000, leaving him just $85k behind. Steicke wasted little time firing right back, making it $200k total and putting Tran to a decision for his tournament life.

He threw out not one, but two Time Break buttons as the tension mounted, but eventually Tran laid it down. Steicke showed J 8 and this time he wasn't bluffing.

Suddenly Steicke found himself with $1.8 million in chips and Tran was incredibly short, before he picked up a massive hand to pull almost even with Bloom.

Tran Twice

Minutes before the dinner break J.C. Tran looked like he was about to be the main course. But just as things started looking incredibly bleak, he and Tony Bloom got into a pre-flop raising war that saw Tran all-in for his last $85k.

Unfortunately for Bloom, Tran had fortuitously picked up K K and his own 6 6 was in big trouble. Tran doubled when the A A T 8 2 board ran out and while Bloom fell to a little over $200k, Tran was suddenly right there on $170,000.

Level 12 then came to a close and if the David Steicke dominance continues, it appears Level 13 could be the end of it all.

PL.com will go back on the tournament floor for the conclusion of the tournament and update you when it's all said and done. We should have a winner interview, pics and more when we get back from the Crown next time around!

A little over three hours ago the final table of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship $100k No-Limit Hold'em Challenge began with six players left in the hunt for the $1.2 million AUD first-place prize.

Pokerlistings.com was there to follow all the action and bring it to you live, but unfortunately, the incompetent IT staff at Crown Casino here in Melbourne could not get us connected to the Internet - even locking us out of our computers in their attempts to get us up and running.

Not much can keep the PL.com crew down, but not having access to the Internet is our kryptonite.

However, we followed the action for the first two and a half levels of play before retreating to a destination where a connection could be procured and now we will endeavor to get you, our valued readers, up to speed.

Play started slowly with the beginning of Level 9 and blinds at $5,000/$10,000.

David Steicke came in with the chip lead on $631,000 and J.C. Tran was next on $528,000. John Juanda started with $480k and despite the fact he showed up 10 minutes late, delaying play, Dan Shak had $356,000 to play with.

2004 Aussie Millions champ Tony Bloom started on $181,000, and the shortest stack was local Aussie Bill Jordanou with $139,000.

The six-handed final table began like a heavyweight title fight, with the boxers feeling each other out, until one massive hand played out halfway through the level, changing the shape of the entire tournament.

Juanda Folds?

The biggest hand of the early going started with a $26k opening raise from Juanda and a call from Bloom. Tran flatted in the big blind and the flop came T 6 4. After Tran checked, Juanda c-bet $52k, but Bloom and Tran both made the call.

The turn brought the J and another Tran check. This time Juanda fired $113k at the pot and as the 30-second countdown came on Bloom, he pushed all-in for just $35k more. Tran mucked and while he took the full 30 seconds to do it, Juanda surprisingly passed as well - getting as much as 15-1 on his money.

Suddenly Bloom was back up over $400k in chips and Juanda had fallen under $200,000.

Blooming

Tony Bloom wasted little time adding to his stack, pushing J.C. Tran of a Q T 4 flop with a check-raise, and suddenly found himself in the chip lead with over $650k at that point.

He continued to pick up the blinds with a series of opening raises and it seemed no one was willing to challenge him. A few hands later he pushed David Steicke off a 9 7 2 flop with another check-raise and looked destined to run away with the tournament on almost $700,000.

Jordanou Double-Double

Bill Jordanou found himself even shorter as the day progressed and finally was forced to make a stand. He raised it to $25k pre-flop. J.C Tran asked for a count and put him all-in for about $60k total. Jordanou obliged with A T and would need help against Tran's 8 8.

Like manna from heaven, Jordanou was all over the miracle K Q J flop that made him the joint and he rode safely to a double on a 2 turn and 9 river.

Level 10 began shortly after and Jordanou found himself all-in again. This time he raised, Dan Shak pushed him in and he tanked for a good while, pulling out the Time Breaker button before making the call with A Q. He had Shak's A J dominated and a board of bricks brought him up over $200k and back in the hunt.

Juanda Ju-Gone-Da

Halfway through Level 10 John Juanda suddenly found himself down to $170k and looking to make a move. He made it $32k to see a flop and J.C. Tran protected his big blind with a call. The flop came Q Q T and after Tran checked, Juanda took the lead, betting $33k.

Tran looked over the Team Full Tilt pro's stack and min-raised it up to $70k. Juanda went into the tank. He emerged, tossing the Time Breaker in, and the rest of his chips would soon follow. Tran insta-called with Q 4 and JJ's J J was as good as dead.

The 4 turn and T river sent Juanda to the rail sixth and Tran was suddenly in contention for the lead again on $730k.

Jordanou Bubbles

Just a few hands into five-handed play Bill Jordanou found himself at the wrong end of a massive cooler. David Steicke raised, Jordanou potted and Steicke pushed all-in over the top.

Jordanou looked down at Q Q and decided to put his tournament life on the line once again. Steicke had K K and when the board brought no more Jordanou miracles, he became the fifth-place finisher here in Melbourne, just missing the money.

The Million-Dollar Man

Following Jordanou's elimination, Steicke found himself back on top again as the only player over $1 million in chips. Tony Bloom and J.C. Tran were sitting with a little over $500k each and Dan Shak was the short stack with $150k.

That's how Level 11 began, but right after the blinds went up to $8,000/$16,000, we lost our fourth-place finisher.

Shak Attacked

A short-stacked Dan Shak made a raise for the majority of his stack, and then called all-in when David Steicke pushed. Shak's 3 3 needed some serious help against Steicke's 7 7, but got absolutely none from the 7 7 9 flop that made Steicke quads for the second time in this event.

The turn and river were meaningless and as Shak was sent to the cage to collect the $200k fourth-place prize, Steicke was adding to his chip lead again.

That's where things stand right now and PL.com will now attempt to head back over to the Crown Poker Room and catch the rest of the action three-handed ...