Miami John in Hospice Care
Had dinner on a tagalong with him and another player at an all you can eat sushi restaurant in Reno in 2002. Nice guy, gravelly voice "Hey, uh, Bill, I got the cab, you get the tip, OK, Bill?"
Air traffic controller fired by Reagan. Maybe the greatest HiLo player ever, especially tournaments. When California legalized non-draw games in the late 80s, he moved to Vegas and commuted M-F to LA on Southwest. First name basis with those stewardesses & pilots who couldn't believe what he was doing. He said it was cheaper than moving there.
Definitely hope he’s pain-free and resting peacefully.
Had dinner on a tagalong with him and another player at an all you can eat sushi restaurant in Reno in 2002. Nice guy, gravelly voice "Hey, uh, Bill, I got the cab, you get the tip, OK, Bill?"
Air traffic controller fired by Reagan. Maybe the greatest HiLo player ever, especially tournaments. When California legalized non-draw games in the late 80s, he moved to Vegas and commuted M-F to LA on Southwest. First name basis with those stewardesses & pilots who couldn't believe what he was doing. He
What a life. Thank you for sharing.
Was always nice to me as i butchered hands in omaha , he would get a little upset some times, but def loved by his mixed games peer group..
hopefully he isnt suffering much longer, 81 is a good age, until recently , (2023 and below), he could have passed as a 65-70 year old easily
Ridiculous that he's not in the HOF.
I first met Miami John in 1987. Being from Miami myself (actually Coral Gables) we had something in common. I had just moved to Las Vegas and would often play in the Las Vegas Hilton Poker Room where he was a regular.
A few months ago I ran into him at a Starbucks close to where I live. We talked for a while and he was very complimentary towards our recent small stakes no-limit book. But he also told me he was struggling with cancer, so I'm not surprised to see that he's now in hospice,
All in all, though a tough competitor, he's one of the nicest people who played poker and perhaps in this coming year, after he's gone, he'll be elected to the Poker Hall of Fame. He certainly deserves it.
sad that he won't get to be in the induction .
Sad to hear. He has always struck me as being a decent guy, the times I have played with him.
When I started playing a lot of poker back in the post-Moneymaker years, my dad told me he could connect me to a friend of his, a guy he used to work with in the Miami tower who was something of a poker player. I was like, yeah, dad, I'm sure. It wasn't until much later when I was watching a rerun of an old WTP final table that I connected the dots and realized my dad's friend was Miami John. Sad to hear this.
I hope they giving him enough stuff to make him feel comfortable. My worst fear
My aunt just passed away after being in hospice care, and they give them enough morphine to feel OK for a while. I think they get so high off the stuff they kind of slip in and out of consciousness, which is probably for the best
RIP to the man..
Respect
Rest In Peace.
Rest in peace
<3
Legend
RIP! Much respect due.
James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
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.
I had wanted to interview John for a book project that I've started and was told by a mutual friend a couple weeks ago that it was too late for that. I wrote up something in advance that I published Tuesday on my substack:
James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
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 r
That was beautiful.
I had wanted to interview John for a book project that I've started and was told by a mutual friend a couple weeks ago that it was too late for that. I wrote up something in advance that I published Tuesday on my substack:
Great read.
RIP. Solidarity and respect.
I had wanted to interview John for a book project that I've started and was told by a mutual friend a couple weeks ago that it was too late for that. I wrote up something in advance that I published Tuesday on my substack:
good read . I'm passing it off to our mixed games poker group
I played with him probably a dozen times over the years and know he recognized me but don't think he knew much about me. I played with him in the 20-40 mix in Arizona, in several LA tournaments, several Vegas tournaments and, the 2nd to last time I saw him, in a 20-40 limit hold em game at Bellagio 2 summers ago. He had seen me months earlier playing 4-8 at Orleans and may have assumed I was blasting off my remaining bankroll at 20-40, which may not have been far from accurate. He wished me luck when he left the game, which I appreciated.
He always seemed cool at the table and I sadly can't say that about most people I've played with 10+ times. The final time I played with him was in an $800 Big O tournament at Venetian last summer and I was glad to prove I was still alive after he'd abandoned me to the sharks in the Bellagio game. RIP to the legend and maybe I'll see you in the big game in the sky.
