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“Miami” John Cernuto, who has more live poker tournament cashes than anyone in history, is in hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, according to Women in Poker Hall of Famer (WiPHOF) Jeanne David.

Cernuto, who turned 81 last month, is an old-school poker legend. He’s been among the top players mentioned for the Poker Hall of Fame, though last year was his first of actually being a nominee.

Allen Kessler expressed his concern on social media for the whereabouts of Cernuto, whom he hadn’t heard from in days. David explained in a tweet why her friend and fellow poker pro had been unresponsive to tweets and calls.

Leaving his Mark on the Poker World

PokerNews has learned that doctors expect Cernuto, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer, to pass away “any day.” The mixed games star has left quite a legacy in the poker world.

Cernuto has 597 live tournament cashes, tops among the nearly 700,000 players tracked on The Hendon Mob. Roland Israelashvili is in second place with 574 cashes. Ari Engel, who just won a LA Poker Classic event, is in third place at 565 cashes.

“Miami John,” born January 10, 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey, racked up over $6.4 million in live tournament earnings. He’s won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings, and has over $2 million in WSOP cashes. The list of accomplishments also includes 85 known tournament wins.

Cernuto, a former air traffic controller who took up poker in the early 1980s after being fired by President Ronald Reagan, has made an impact on the game in more ways than just his play. He’s inspired many others to take up the game and served as a mentor for players such as actor James Woods, a Los Angeles mixed game player and a WSOP regular.

Woods, who considers Cernuto one of his close friends, made a strong case last summer for “Miami John” to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, in an interview with PokerNews.

“When I went to M.I.T., the first thing they said when you go through orientation, the one of the professors here said, ‘you may not learn a lot of facts here, but you’re going to learn how to think.’ What (Cernuto) taught me to do is how to think about poker. John thinks about poker better than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Maybe Ari Engel also, and I know Ari very well, he’s a good friend,” Woods said.

Woods, who nearly lost his home in the Los Angeles wildfires last month, praised his friend’s accomplishments on the felt and the impact he’s had on the game as reasons why he should be in the HOF.

Cernuto’s Condition

David, a close friend of Cernuto’s and a 2024 WiPHOF inductee, said she’s planning to visit the poker legend on Sunday. She explained that “Miami John’s” health has been deteriorating for a while.

“He’s been sick for a long time, he had prostate cancer but it seems to have spread,” David said. “He’s been battling for a while but he decided several months ago to stop the treatments and just live out his life.”

David said that she believes Cernuto has been in hospice care for “about a month” and that his health condition took a “bad turn of events” in recent weeks.

The poker pro’s son has been taking care of him during hospice care. Cernuto also has a mentally disabled daughter, whom David referred to as an “amazing gifted woman.”

“Cernuto should’ve not only been inducted last summer, but got father of the year award. He’s been an incredible father to Debbie, who is mentally disabled,” David said.

Cernuto, a Florida State University graduate, is one of the all-time greats, whether or not he reaches the Poker Hall of Fame, an achievement that he’s long desired.

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