Good news is I was not first out from the final table. Bad news is I was not the last one either

I was in 3rd position before we sat down the nine of us. Chip leader ($186,000) was my name brother Henrik Alin from Sweden/Costa Rica, a strong, loose and aggressive player both in cash games and in tournaments. Second stacked ($102,000) was the sponsor favorite Jordan Davenport aka OnTheFelt (their favorite because they had a piece of his action) and then came your humble servant with $79,000 followed by Dewey Thang with $55,000. The other five were moderately to desperately shortstacked and also seemed to have the worst of it in terms of skill.



Honestly, I think I was the coolest character at the table. I talked to most of the other players before the game began, and except for Henrik everybody was awed and nervous of the whole thing, even Jordan said this was his biggest achievement so far, his biggest cash being an $11,000 win on-line.

I took the very first hand with a mid-late position raise holding A10d. Normally in the heat of the battle I would lay this one down, but I thought I would test the waters, and everybody folded. Good news. I wanted to test the smaller stacks and they reacted as expected: Waiting for the big hand to double up.

Later I had to fold to a re-raise from Jordan after I had raised the pot in mid position again with 77. I later heard from rooting Jeff Herrman on the sideline that Jordan had put me on jacks in that hand, which made me feel really happy about laying it down.

The first really big hand came when the only Tico at the table raised to $12,000 UTG, Dewey went all-in for another $20,000 and I held the Queens. I went all-in, Tico folded and Dewey showed A10. No A on the board busted Dewey in 9th spot and gave me a saldo of $112,000.

We went on to the next level, now blinds were $3,000/6,000 with $1,000 ante. We had lost another short stack - Mike from Atlanta Georgia - and Jordan was UTG. He raised to $15,000. Henrik - more popularly known in San Jose as Harry Potter - flat called, and I looked down at pocket tens. This hand will haunt me forever, I have had several opinions afterwards, and I will surely be analyzing this hand for a few months (or years!) to come. Without exaggerating it was probably the most decisive hand of the final table.

Here is what went through my mind: I took Davenport as a serious player, and raising a mere $9,000 UTG with chip leader Harry Potter and myself in position signals a very strong hand. I am thinking AK, AQs, not AA, KK or QQ, the latter would probably have called for a higher raise, while aces and kings could have been tempting to slowplay against a hyperaggressive Swedish chip leader. Henriks call could be interpreted as almost anything, but probably suited connectors, maybe a couple of suited face cards, maybe a lower pair. Being a little afraid that an all-in move from me will be called by Davenport, perhaps even the both of them if the other Henrik has a real hand I decide to get a cheap look at the flop and call with position on the other 2 guys. The pot is now $61,000 and the three biggest stacks are involved, fireworks could happen.

Flop comes 942 rainbow. Davenport checks (goes well with the AK, AQ I had put him on, and surely he is being cautious now with calls from the 2 most dangerous players at the table). Harry Potter bets $40,000, and I have $70,000 left in my stack. I am pretty sure he is trying to take down the pot with a worse hand than mine at the time, and having being really respectful of him so far,I obviously must move all-in here, so I do. The Swede goes into the tank. He has to call another $30,000 to in a $171,000 pot, a whopping 8.5-1 and he correctly decides to call. He flips over KJc. Fine call if he decides I have not flopped a set.

Now the 9 on the flop is a club, so he can catch a King or a Jack, or runner-runner straight or flush to beat me. He is now a 3-7 underdog. Here comes the queen of clubs on the turn, giving him now all clubs, jacks, kings and a ten for the inside straight, I am now "only" 2-1 favorite to scoop the $201,000 pot and become a huge favorite to win the whole thing. My "own" card - a 10 - falls on the river to give me a deadly set completing Harry Potters inside straight and sending me out in the darkness in 7th spot..........

Critics (I love you all, just give me half an hour extra to regroup next time you decide to mock me) have pointed out that I had the excellent opportunity to reraise all-in preflop and chase both of the big stacks out to take down a nice $46,000 pot, and that might very well be the right thing to do with tens. However, it all depends on your assesment of Davenport. I apparently overrated him and his hand (He was actually holding A9!?). Another "expert player" to finish second today thought I should have either went all-in preflop or raised Potters bet on the flop with an extra $25,000, but I don´t like that one very much, since I would be completely pot comitted anyway. I think it is either all-in preflop or my play with the subsequent play I made.

Man, I will think about that one for a while.



Obviously Henrik Alin went on to win the tournament after that hand, congratulations! - it was either gonna be Henrik or Henrik