We're going to resist the temptation to make a lousy gag about the luck of the Irish at the expense of Sean O'Reilly. Instead, let's give credit where credit is due for the guy who has smashed the field in the early going on day one of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne event.

Just before the last break, O'Reilly used pocket aces to eliminate Andrew Tieu and take his stack to almost 90,000 - a clear chip leader.

Close behind O'Reilly is Tasmania's Heath Chick, best known to local players for his work on local forum PokerNetwork and its parent company PokerNews. The PokerStars qualifier is up to 60,000, showing he can walk the walk as well as he can talk the talk.

In the early stages of level five, we're down to 170 players with the PokerStars.net Team Australia contingent looking solid. ANZPT points leader Tony Hachem is continuing his fine run in these events, sitting comfortably on 38,500.

Grant Levy and Celina Lin have been steady starters (21k and 19k respectively), 2007 APPT Macau High Roller champ Eric Assadourian is on 26,000 but Emad Tahtouh has slumped to 12k.

NZ PokerStars Sponsored man Lee "Final Table" Nelson has started the day strongly in pursuit of his first ANZPT cash, and currently presides over a stack just short of 50,000.

The list of players eliminated includes 2007 APPT Grand Final fifth-place finisher Jai Kemp, online whiz kid Ben Delaney, Andrew adgee Jeffreys, 2008 PokerNews Cup winner Nali "Iraqi Nick" Kaselias, PokerStars qualifier Gary Benson, Bill Jordanou, "The Colonel" Sam Korman, Haibo Chu, Manny Stavropoulos and Tim English.