From Downstairs

We finally got a moment to run downstairs and across the building to check on the tables down in the poker room. There are about 12 tables set up down there, and we scrounged up a few more notables as we walked between the ropes.

Most notably, Table 37 sticks out as the toughest one in the room. Chris Bell was the first face we recognized, and the North Carolinian has come down south to find himself in Seat 1 there. We scanned all the way around the table without recognizing anyone else through the first seven seats. Seat 8 is a familiar face, though. It's Mike Minetti, the 13th-place finisher in this event last year. Minetti is also known for his runner-up finish in the 2010 WSOP Seniors' Event. Right next to him in the nine seat is Ryan Fair who finished 31st in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Minetti and Fair are both locals who play a lot of poker around this area, and they no doubt are familiar with each others' tendencies as they've drawn adjoining seats for Day 1a.