“Miami” John Cernuto, who cashed in more poker tournaments than any player in history, died late Monday at his Las Vegas home at age 81. His death was announced by friends and family on social media.
Cernuto had been battling colon cancer and was in hospice care.
Born Jan. 10, 1944, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Cernuto earned three World Series of Poker bracelets, which are awarded for tournament victories. He also won two WSOP Circuit events and had $6.4 million in career live tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.
Cernuto’s 597 career live tournament cashes rank first all time among the approximately 700,000 players tracked on the Hendon Mob database. That included 85 tournament victories overall.
He cashed in five events at last year’s WSOP, including third place in the $1,500 buy-in Eight-Game Mix for $57,249.
Cernuto turned to poker when he was fired following the 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike. He was one of the most popular players during the televised poker boom of the 2000s and was nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame for the first time in 2024.
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