Legendary poker player 'Miami' John Cernuto has passed away at the age of 81 following a battle against cancer and spending his final days in home hospice care, surrounded by friends and family.
Cernuto's passing was posted on social media late Monday night by several of his closest friends, including actor/poker player James Woods. Just hours after Woods posted an eloquent tribute to his longtime poker friend, he followed with the sad news of Cernuto's passing:
As Woods detailed, Cernuto had spent some time battling his cancer, enduring surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments before acknowledging that the cancer had become incurable. Cernuto's move into hospice became known to much of the poker world about a week ago, and his family passed word that he was resting comfortably and aware of the love sent his way, though he was no longer able to communicate with outsiders.
Tributes from fellow pros for the well-liked Cernuto immediately rolled in, with many more sure to follow in the coming hours and days.
'Miami' John amassed huge list of poker accomplishments
Cernuto, a New Jersey native, cut a wide swath through the poker world in his roughly four decades at the tables. A former air traffic controller who was among those fired en masse by US President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Cernuto took up the game after having no other employment immediately available.
Miami John, as he came to be known, quickly excelled at his new profession. He was a pro's pro in that he mastered most popular variants, and though he played cash games as well, his tournament resume has few parallels.
Cernuto remains the career leader in recorded tournament cashes according to the HendonMob database, with 597, ranging in time from 1987 through last July. Nearly a sixth of those cashes (89) were victories. A fixture at the WSOP every summer, he won three bracelets, and he added two Circuit rings as well. His WSOP winnings alone topped $2 million, and his known live tourney cashes added up to nearly $6.5 million.
Yet Cernuto was known for his personable nature and competitive spirit as much as how often he won. Woods, in his tribute, wrote, "I've never met a more giving soul, nor a more intellectually demanding teacher."
