John Cernuto
American poker player (1944–2025)
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John Anthony Cernuto (January 11, 1944 – February 10, 2025) also known as Miami, was an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada, specialising in Omaha hi-lo events. Cernuto won over $6,200,000 in live tournament winnings. His largest score was for $259,150 from his $2,000 No Limit Hold'em bracelet victory in the 1997 World Series of Poker.[1]
| John Cernuto | |
|---|---|
Cernuto playing in 2005 | |
| Nickname | Miami John |
| Born | January 11, 1944 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2025 (aged 81) |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelets | 3 |
| Money finishes | 65 |
| Highest WSOP Main Event finish | 345th, 2011 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title | None |
| Final table | 3 |
| Money finishes | 9 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title | None |
| Final table | 1 |
| Money finishes | 3 |
Background
Cernuto was born on January 11, 1944.[2] Before embarking on his poker career, Cernuto worked as an air traffic controller. When President Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers during a 1981 strike, he turned to poker for his profession.[3]
Cernuto died from colon cancer on February 10, 2025, at the age of 81.[4]
Poker career
World Series of Poker
Cernuto first cashed in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) after making the final table in the 1989 World Series of Poker in the $5,000 Seven-card stud event. He finished fourth in the final table, which featured David Sklansky, Humberto Brenes, Gabe Kaplan, and the tournament winner Don Holt.[5]
Five WSOP cashes followed before Cernuto won his first bracelet in the 1996 WSOP $1,500 seven card stud split tournament.[1][6] He won the $2,000 no limit hold'em event in the 1997 World Series of Poker and the $1,500 limit Omaha event in the 2002 World Series of Poker.[7][8]
Cernuto made an impressive three final tables in the 2006 World Series of Poker, two in Seven Card Stud and one in Razz.[9][10][11]
During the $2,500 Razz tournament of the 2009 WSOP, Cernuto collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where he spent the night after being diagnosed with internal bleeding.[12]
At the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, Cernuto finished in 345th place for his best career placement in the World Championship.[13]
As of the 2023 World Series of Poker, Cernuto finished in the money in at least one World Series of Poker tournament per year starting in 1992.[14][15]
World Series of Poker bracelets
Other poker achievements
In 1988, Cernuto won the $1,000 Seven Card Stud event at Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker tournament series, earning a cash prize of $58,000 in addition to the title.[16] The victory at the SBOP was Cernuto's first career victory in a major poker tournament.[1]
In 2003, he won the third World Heads-Up Poker Championship in Vienna, outlasting a field including fellow professionals Ivo Donev, Ram Vaswani, Dave Colclough, Scotty Nguyen, and Padraig Parkinson on the way to the €60,000 grand prize.[17]
Cernuto also made one World Poker Tour (WPT) final table at the 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure event won by John Gale.[18]
Poker Winnings / Accolades
As of 2023, his total live tournament winnings exceed $6,200,000.[1]
In 2019, actor James Woods, a close friend of Cernuto's dubbed him the “Ironman of Poker”, as Cernuto is the all-time leader in poker tournament cashes.[19]
At the 2020 Global Poker Awards, Cernuto was given the distinguished "Hendon Mob" award for his lifetime tournament cashes record.[20]
Blackjack
Cernuto made appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour,[21] making a final table in the Elimination Blackjack event where he played in a tournament format of the game of blackjack.