Poker legend “Miami” John Cernuto has died at age 81.
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Cernuto died Monday in hospice care at his Las Vegas home after a battle with colon cancer, PokerNews reports.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Cernuto worked as a air traffic controller into his late 30s. When then-President Ronald Reagan fired ATC workers en masse during a 1981 labor strike, “Miami John” turned to poker as his full-time career.
He went on to win three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings, and racked up over $6.4 million in live tournament earnings.
Cernuto had 597 live tournament cashes, landing him the top spot among the nearly 700,000 players tracked on poker’s famous Hendon Mob database.
“Miami” John Cernuto Was One of the Winningest Tournament Poker Players of All Time
Last year, actor James Woods — Cernuto’s close friend and fellow poker lover — made a case for his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in an interview with PokerNews.
Following the news of his death, Woods memorialized “Miami John” on social media.
“Miami John Cernuto made every decision like the scientist he was at heart,” the actor wrote, in part. “He has approached the end of his life with the same ruthless analytical rigor. After surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, he said enough was enough. He has faced his fate with the strength of a true champion. His power derived from the love of his children, his friends, and, yes, the game he enjoyed so dearly.”
“I’ve never met a more giving soul, nor a more intellectually demanding teacher,” Woods continued. “As he stands tall in the twilight hours of his life, I embrace him with all my heart, with the full measure of gratitude for his counsel, for his undying friendship, and for the many smiles with which he gifted me for years. God bless you, John.”
The World Series of Poker also memorialized the giant of the game.
“Rest in peace “Miami” John Cernuto. 2024 Hall of Fame finalist and 3x bracelet winner — one of the top tournament players of all time,” they captioned a black-and-white Instagram photo.
Cernuto is survived by his two adult children as well as a multitude of fans and friends in and out of the poker community.