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Just moments ago, Warren Wooldridge made the final table of Event 54's $1,000 No Limit Hold'em freezeout, battling through a gargantuan field of 4,576 to earn his spot in the final nine. He's now guaranteed $53,333, but will return for the fourth and final day with a shot at capturing his first bracelet to date, not to mention the small matter of a $648,880 first prize.

Despite a strong start, Warren spent most of the three days with a below-average stack and was constantly fighting to stay alive. At the start of Day 3, he had just 15 big blinds, but the Poker Gods were smiling down on him as he enjoyed a succession of double-throughs: K-J vs. A-5, A-K vs. Q-J and A-K vs. 9-8. In the blink of an eye, Warren's acorn of a stack had grown into a giant oak tree as he catapulted above the average and away from the danger zone.

After eliminating a short stack with Q-9 versus J-5 (blind on blind), Warren continued to keep his head above water, eventually surpassing the one million mark when he four-bet shoved A-J uncontested. He ducked and dived his way to the final table before the final man fell; with the players rising from their seats and casting a shadow over the table, Dror Michealo's 9-9 held up against Mario Doria's K-8 to bring us to our official final table.

The first thing Warren did was call his wife to share the good news, and then his father who he later reported was in tears. Meanwhile, the rail of support had increased with Neil Channing utilising his break in the $1,500 to offer his praise, joining Kevin Williams, Jamie Burland, Keith Hawkins and even award-winning comedian David Mitchell, who'd been watching the action alongside Vicky Coren.

"I'm relieved," commented Warren in the aftermath. "I thought that once I had a million, It would be enough to sail onto the final table, but it wasn't that easy. You have to really brave in this. Thankfully, I got a few hands and it worked out for me."

"I've been coming to the World Series since 1996," he continued, "and I always come with my dad, but this year I had work duties so it was difficult. He was as pleased as anyone when I told him the news though and he even cried down the phone. It was a very proud moment and I'm so excited to have made the final."

Warren is also the Black Belt Poker CEO, so has been juggling playing with his administrative duties at the Black Belt Poker mansion. Prior to this event, he boasted total winnings of $284,965, including a WSOP final table in 2007 when he finished third in a $1,500 Limit event.