![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.cardplayer.com\/assets\/000\/037\/996\/Miami_John.jpeg\")
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\u201cMiami\u201d John Cernuto, poker\u2019s all-time tournament cashes leader, has passed away after a battle with colon cancer.<\/p>\n
The longtime grinder with nearly 600 in-the-money finishes<\/a>, 76 tournament wins, and more than $6.3 million in earnings was 81 years old.<\/p>\n Cernuto first learned to play poker with his family<\/a> around the kitchen table.<\/p>\n \u201cWe played seven card stud,\u201d he told Card Player<\/em> in 2020. \u201cDeuces were wild if mom was dealing, and tens were wild if grandma was dealing. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and parents were all players, and it was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n He found plenty of action in Las Vegas, where he quickly became known as \u2018Miami\u2019 John.<\/p>\n \u201cI decided to use it the day I won my first big event. It was a seven card stud event at the Amarillo Slim\u2019s Super Bowl of Poker<\/em> at Caesars Palace. I entered as \u2018Miami John\u2019 and won this event, going wire-to-wire and only losing two pots. It was like magic, so I kept the name. I didn\u2019t want to tempt fate.\u201d<\/p>\n Although he was 43 when he picked up his first recorded cash, Cernuto caught the tournament bug early, and would often take advantage of bonuses awarded to the best player of the series. Since he had no problem playing every event, he was usually in contention.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed a streak of winning one event at almost every venue I attended for nearly two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n He won the first of his three WSOP<\/span><\/span><\/em> bracelets<\/a> in 1996, taking down the $1,500 stud eight-or-better tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cWinning my first bracelet was surreal,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was a prop player for the LV Hilton poker room and I quit the job because they wanted me to prop a $15-$30 stud eight-or-better game. I didn\u2019t like the game at the time and I kept losing at it. I had a new appreciation for it after [winning the bracelet].\u201d<\/p>\n Cernuto added another bracelet<\/a> the next year in the $2,000 no-limit hold\u2019em event and his third in 2002 in the $1,500 limit Omaha event.<\/p>\n So I\u2019m playing only my fourth tour of 2024 and the dealer points out that I have 3 bracelets to my older opponent, who says he has a few too. The dealer replied, \u201clife alerts don\u2019t count\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 John Cernuto (@MiamiJohnC) April 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The player dubbed \u2018The Ironman of Poker\u2019 was determined to keep playing until the end despite his health issues. Even with Octogenarian status at last summer\u2019s WSOP<\/span><\/span><\/em>, Cernuto racked up six cashes, including a third-place finish in the $1,500 eight-game mix.<\/p>\n Cernuto\u2019s passing may be the spark needed for the Poker Hall of Fame to increase their induction rate<\/a> from a single entry each year. He was a finalist nominated for the honor for the last two years, but ultimately lost out to high-stakes pros Brian Rast and Patrik Antonius.<\/p>\n Cernuto joined Card Player\u2019s<\/em> Poker Stories Podcast back in 2022 to talk about his legendary career. You can listen to the full episode below.<\/p>\n![\"'Miami'](\"https:\/\/media.cardplayer.com\/assets\/000\/037\/997\/RS65803_John_Cernuto.JPG\" "\\"'Miami'")
He continued to play while in college and during his time in the army. The Jersey City, New Jersey native then moved to South Florida, where he worked as an air traffic controller<\/a>. When President Reagan fired air traffic controllers during their 1981 strike, he turned to poker to pay the bills.<\/p>\n![\"Cernuto](\"https:\/\/media.cardplayer.com\/assets\/000\/037\/998\/RS17968_NAPT_Venetian_S1__5KMainEvent_Final_Table_JoeGiron_IJ78391.jpg\" "\\"Cernuto")
\u201cAnother thing I am also proud of is that there was a period of time where tournaments were trending downward, but myself and a group of about 50 continued to support them while most others were understandably supporting cash games. In a sense, we became the new pioneers of the tournament industry and held it together until it got very fashionable to play tournament poker again. Now, it\u2019s big business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n