John Anthony Cernuto, known as "Miami John", has made poker history as the player with the most ITM placements on Hendonmob. In his poker career, John has managed to record 597 live tournament ITM cashouts, which have earned him over $6.4 million.
He is followed in second place by Roland Israelashvili, who has 574 ITM placements. John Cernuto has a total of 85 tournament titles, he has also won 3 WSOP gold bracelets and 2 WSOPC gold rings. Prior to his poker career, he worked as an air traffic controller. He took up poker in the early 1980s after he was fired from his job by US President Ronald Reagan.
His first recorded tournament cashout was in January 1987, when he finished 21st in the Grand Prix of Poker in Las Vegas. John's most recent tournament result is from July 2024, when he finished 3rd in the Big O Bounty held as part of the Venetian DeepStack Championship Poker Series in Las Vegas. Just a few days before that, he also took 3rd place in a WSOP tournament, which was the Eight Game Mix - 6-Handed.
The Hall of Fame
A few days ago, the world was informed that John Cernuto was under hospice care at his home in Las Vegas and his health condition was very serious. Even then, the medical staff said that he probably had only a few days to live. That prediction was unfortunately true, and we learned this morning of the death of this poker legend who inspired many players.
John had been battling colon cancer for a long time and only recently decided to end his treatment. John "Miami" Cernuto, born January 10, 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey, left us forever on February 10, 2025 at the age of 81. He long aspired to become a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, unfortunately he did not live to see that glory. Although he was nominated last year when Patrik Antonius was inducted. Will John receive this honor this year? Some names like Norman Chad and Jamie Kerstetter are calling for the WSOP to induct John this year, as he would certainly deserve it for his contribution to the poker community.
On behalf of the entire editorial team, we extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Source - Pokernews, Hendonmob