Bring on Day 2!

The final of three Day 1 flights has come to an end here at the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. Day 1c brought out the biggest field -- almost 50% bigger than each of the previous two flights -- and the most notable names. The old-schoolers were represented by names like Rheem, Nelson, Hansen, Juanda, Laak and Hachem. The young guns sent their own stable of players, such as Dwan, Sabat, Timoshenko, Tran and Guzzardi.

It was a field of locals and internationals alike, professionals and amateurs. Some were making the transition from previous competitive endeavors such as cricket, boxing and tennis; others were here chasing a dream of fortune and glory. Some probably just thought it would make a nice vacation.

The hands played out across the whole span of the Crown Poker Room, and by the end of the day a starting field of 288 had been reduced in half to approximately 143. The unofficial overnight chip leader is Ben Charlton, who amassed an impressive 161,000 chips during the course of the day. That puts him in second place behind Day 1a chip leader Chris Chronis.

Tomorrow, the whole field takes the felt together for the first time. Levels on Day 1 were ninety minutes; for the rest of the tournament they will switch to a staggeringly patient two hours. That should give the players lucky enough to survive the Day 1 minefield plenty of opportunity to let their skill come to the fore.

Action kicks off at 12:30pm local time. Until then, you can find us at the bar.