John Anthony Cernuto

John Anthony Cernuto was born on January 11, 1944, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He earned a finance degree from Florida State University and initially worked as an air traffic controller. However, his career took a dramatic turn in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers, leaving Cernuto unemployed. He moved to Florida and then to Las Vegas in 1986, where he worked at the Las Vegas Hilton while pursuing poker. His dedication paid off in 1988 when he won a $50,000 Seven Card Stud tournament at Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker, which allowed him to quit his job and become a full-time professional.

Cernuto recorded his first live cash in January 1987, finishing 21st in a $500 No Limit Hold'em event at the Grand Prix of Poker in Las Vegas for $1,062. His first major tournament victory came in 1988 at the Super Bowl of Poker, where he won the $1,000 Seven Card Stud event for $58,000. He then cashed at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for the first time in 1989, making the final table of the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event, finishing fourth behind champion Don Holt, alongside David Sklansky, Humberto Brenes, and Gabe Kaplan.

Cernuto's first WSOP bracelet came in 1996 when he won the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Split event for $147,000. The following year, he captured his second bracelet in the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event, earning $259,150 — his largest live cash. He won his third bracelet in 2002 in the $1,500 Limit Omaha event for $73,320. At the 2006 WSOP, he made three final tables (two in Seven Card Stud and one in Razz). In 2009, during the $2,500 Razz event, he collapsed due to internal bleeding and was hospitalized overnight. In the 2011 WSOP Main Event, he finished 345th, his best result in the world championship. Remarkably, Cernuto cashed in at least one WSOP event every year from 1992 through 2023, a streak spanning over three decades. He also won two WSOP Circuit rings: in 2005 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em at Harrah's Lake Tahoe for $70,190) and in 2012 ($365 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo at WSOPC Atlantic City for $13,461).

Beyond the WSOP, Cernuto excelled in other major events. In 2003, he won the World Heads-Up Poker Championship in Vienna, defeating Ivo Donev, Ram Vaswani, Dave Colclough, Scotty Nguyen, and Padraig Parkinson to earn €60,000. He also made a World Poker Tour final table at the 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, finishing fifth in the $7,800 + 200 Main Event for $155,800 (won by John Gale). In 2010, he placed seventh in a $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the Deep Stack Extravaganza in Las Vegas for $104,461. He also competed in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, making a final table in Elimination Blackjack. Cernuto was a sponsored pro for Full Tilt Poker. As of 2023, his total live tournament winnings exceeded $6.4 million, placing him 294th on the all-time money list. He held the record for most cashes on The Hendon Mob, with results across 38 consecutive years.

Cernuto was known for a tight-aggressive style, specializing in Omaha hi-lo and mixed games. He was nicknamed "Miami John" and was often described as "old school" and "the Ironman of Poker," a title given by actor James Woods in 2019 to highlight his record number of cashes. His disciplined approach and consistent deep runs earned him respect from peers. In 2020, he received the prestigious Hendon Mob Award at the Global Poker Awards for his lifetime tournament cashes record. He was also a popular figure, frequently appearing on poker media.

In 2024, Cernuto took a hiatus from poker to receive treatment for an ongoing illness, later revealed to be colon cancer. He returned briefly, with his last recorded cash in July 2024 at the Venetian DeepStack Championship (third place in a Big O Bounty event for $14,962). He died on February 10, 2025, at the age of 81. Cernuto's legacy includes three WSOP bracelets, two WSOPC rings, and a record for longevity and consistency in tournament poker. He is remembered as one of the game's enduring figures, an inspiration for players who value patience and discipline.