On Tuesday, February 11, the poker world woke up to the sad news of the passing of John “Miami” Cernuto at the age of 81. He was suffering from colon cancer and, according to his friend James Woods, he spent his last days at home surrounded by family and friends. At John’s express request, there will be no funeral, but a celebration of his life will be held in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker in June.

This is how James Woods remembered it on his Twitter:

“Miami John Cernuto made every decision like the scientist he was at heart. Remember, his profession was as an air traffic control controller for years. When all the striking ATC employees were fired en masse, John was left high and dry. He taught himself poker, and became the highest scoring tournament champion in history. No one has ever won as many as he.

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. 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.

And goodbye.”

Messages, Memories and Farewells

Many people took to social media to remember and say goodbye to him:

WSOP: “Rest in peace "Miami" John Cernuto. 2024 Hall of Fame finalist and 3x bracelet winner — one of the top tournament players of all time.”

The Hendon Mob: "We’re saddened to hear of the passing of poker legend “Miami” John Cernuto. Mr. Cernuto was the first player to cross the 500 results mark and still holds the record with 597 total cashes. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. Rest in peace, John."

Matt Savage : “...We spent so many days and hours together over the years and he will be missed by the poker community.”

Eric Danis : "A poker legend has left us – rest in peace, John, you were always kind to me and us at GPI/THM. John was always a big supporter of our projects. I am happy that we got to recognize him with The Hendon Mob trophy at the Global Poker Awards in 2019. You will be missed."

Jeremy Ausmus : "I ran into John many times at the tables over the years and everytime it was a positive experience. He was a legendary poker player putting up results up for nearly 4 decades, may he rest in peace."

Ari Engel : “Rest in peace to our dear friend. It’s been a personal pleasure of mine to compete with Miami John so many times over the past few years. He will be missed.”

Robert Mizrachi : "RIP Miami John. he was a great guy and a great poker player. I still remember when we played the commerce tournament back in 2012 and he dropped 10K on the floor I picked it up and returned it to him.He was always friendly to everyone.He will be missed."

Lance Bradley : "The poker world was better off because Miami John was in it. He embodied "who loves it more" as well as anybody. I hope John is at peace and able to finally rest."

Allen Cunningham : "John’s always been a great guy to be around and great guy to play with. And a serious competitor. Back when tourney pros were considered 2nd tier, he was an exception. Absolutely elite."

Jamie Kerstetter : "So sad to learn this. Getting to play some O8 with Miami John last WSOP was a highlight for me. He was incredibly kind to a fishy Omaha player 🙋🏼‍♀️ and made me want to play more mixed games. I’d be surprised if he didn’t have the same effect on lots of newer players. Let more people into the HOF! He deserved to enjoy the honor during his lifetime (imho)."

Robbie Strazynski : "I'll miss you, John. You were a good man, on and off the felt. Thank you for leaving me with these special memories."

James Woods : “Poker legend, devoted father, the best friend a man could have. John Cernuto of Miami has passed away. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”

Norman Chad : “Miami John Cernuto went out with a flourish. At the 2024 WSOP, he played fewer than 10 events and -- though obviously not at his best -- he cashed in five of them, recording 3rd-, 10th-, 12th-, 19th- and 33rd-place finishes. At the age of 80. Demonstrating his mastery of all the games, these cashes came in five different disciplines: Eight-game mix, razz, HORSE, 2-7 lowball triple draw and Omaha8. Fittingly, Miami John's final WSOP cash produced a final table, in the $1,500 eight-game mix.”

Allen Kessler : “This summer at the WSOP on the first Daniel Negreanu vlog, when he says "What's bothering you today?" I will respond "That Miami John still isn't in the Poker Hall of Fame"!”

Steph Chung : “There were very few players that I was awestruck playing with the first time- and he was one of them. Absolute legend and such a pleasure to play with. RIP.”

Adam Weinraub : "RIP John, you were always a class gentleman. Your record of the most cashes in poker history out of 700,000 players may get broken 1 day but your memory will last for ever! John Cerritos is a Legend."

Kathy Chang : "I met Miami John several years ago. We played many mixed game events together. He was my poker coach and friend. Always generous with his time, so supportive and encouraging. He believed in me and was so proud of my accomplishements. I saved alll of his texts, emails, handwritten notes and read them all this week. I will miss our chats at Starbucks before tourneys. I would send him my piano videos which he and his daughter enjoyed. This is my favorite photo of us together, happy and doing what we loved. This is how I will remember John. Grateful and blessed to have known him."

Elaine Durrance : "Rest in peace "Miami" John Cernuto. 2024 Hall of Fame finalist and 3x bracelet winner — one of the top tournament players of all time."

The Great Career of John Cernuto

John's poker career began in 1981 when he moved to Las Vegas at the age of 38 after losing his job as an air traffic controller. Between 1982 and 1985 he earned several cashes and titles at casinos that no longer exist such as the Stardust, Vegas World and Frontier. At that time, The Hendon Mob website did not exist and his first records date back to 1987. That year he won an event in the prestigious Amarillo Slim's Superbowl Of Poker series for $58K, and in 1989 he reached his first final table at the World Series of Poker.

In 1996 he won his first WSOP bracelet in a $1.5K Seven Card Stud Split event for $147K. In 1997 he won his second bracelet and his biggest live cash when he won a $2K NLH event for $259K. In 2002 he won his third bracelet in a $1.5K Pot Limit Omaha event for $73K. At the WSOP he won a total of 107 cashes (18 on the Circuit), 3 bracelets and 2 rings, earning $2M.

In 2020, he was awarded at the Global Poker Awards for being the first player to reach 500 cashes on The Hendon Mob website . This is what he said about his award in an interview with Poker Red in 2023:

“Winning The Hendon Mob award was spectacular. Being recognised for your poker achievements in front of your family, friends and colleagues was special for me . I got up too early to accept it and was pulled back by my belt because they were playing a video of me beforehand. My son said to me: “Sit down dad, you’re blocking the video haha.”

Cernuto continued to compete at a high level until the end of his career, with his last two finishes being podium finishes at age 80. One was in July 2024, with a third-place finish in the WSOP Event #83 8-Game Mix $1.5K, where he earned $57K, and the last was another third-place finish in the Venetian DeepStack Series Event #60 $1K Big O Bounty, for $15K.

John's numbers in his successful career:

  • Collections: 597 (Hendon Mob record)
  • Final tables: 395
  • Podiums: 201
  • Second places: 52
  • Titles: 76 (3rd in Hendon Mob)
  • Earnings: $6.4M

When asked what motivated him to continue playing poker after 40 years, he had this to say:

“For me, the motivation to play poker tournaments is easy. Firstly, it’s a great way to build up and maintain a bankroll. In a couple of days you can win huge sums that you can’t win in a 9-5 job. That can be life-changing. Secondly, if you were competitive in life and in sports, it gives you the opportunity to remain competitive in your less active years, and have fun doing it. The Hendon Mob and Cardplayer Magazine keep statistics on you that allow you to show the world how successful you were in your sport. Thirdly, I’ve made a lot of friends and relationships at tournaments. I really enjoy the camaraderie and socialising. Apart from caring about family and health, do I need any other reason to stay motivated to play? If you can think of any, let me know.”

John was involved in two poker books. The first was the classic “Play Poker Like The Pros” (2003) by Phil Hellmuth , where he appears in chapter 9, which is about strategy in Omaha 8 or Better. There Phil tells that he paid John $500 for a 20-minute lesson and his words are in that section. The other was the book “Make Better Poker Tournament Deals” (2021) with Alan Schoonmaker , where he gives tips for tournament fixing and was the first book on that particular topic. At the end of the book there is an appendix, where Cernuto’s story is told and an interview with him is included.

John at the WSOP 2023 / Photo: Spenser Sembrat

With John’s passing, criticism of the Poker Hall of Fame and its current one-person induction system has once again surfaced, leaving out many players and industry members each year. On social media, several people such as Norman Chad and Jamie Kerstetter criticized the HOF and mentioned that John should have been inducted years ago to enjoy the honor in life alongside his family and friends. We’ll see who the 10 candidates are this year, with Scott Seiver and Nick Schulman as favorites . But there’s no doubt that John “Miami” Cernuto should be inducted on his own merit.