Poker Player - John Cernuto
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John Cernuto was born in on the 11th of January 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey he currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and three children. John is a former graduate of Florida State University and has a finance major but this was not the career path that John settled on instead he decided to become an Air Traffic Controller in Miami. During his breaks John would practice his poker skills participating in ½ Hold'em games and was given the nickname 'Miami' by his co-workers, however gambling was not allowed so they had to keep score on a piece of paper and settle there winnings on paydays. Despite John feeling that he would be able to take his game to the Las Vegas poker scene and be good he was far to content with his life at the present time with both his job and competing in home games. In 1981 John got the push that he needed to go to Las Vegas when he along with 11,500 other workers were fired by the president of the time Ronald Reagan for strike action, with his small retirement fund he headed to Las Vegas when he realised that people made a good living out of playing poker.
The first couple of years in Las Vegas didn't go to well for John and he found himself broke playing 10/20 Hold'em so reluctantly he took a job dealing at the card tables of the Stardust Casino before moving back to Florida. When he returned home John still had the feeling that he could make it in Las Vegas and vowed to return, he lined up a job dealing at the LV Hilton so he packed up for the second time left his Daytona City job and returned to Las Vegas in 1986. In 1988 while still working at the Hilton he entered the $50,000 Stud Tournament at Caesar's this was the biggest tournament that he had entered so far, John came out on top but didn't go giving up his day job yet. After being asked to play in a 15/30 Stud Hi/Lo game John mad the discussion to leave his job at the Hilton and become a full-time professional poker player.
Since John's early days he has racked up an incredible twenty-seven 1st place poker finishes as well as three WSOP bracelets the first bracelet won was at the 1996 WSOP Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event earning him $147,000 the second was at the 1997 WSOP No Limit Hold'em event winning $259,150 and his final bracelet was won at the 2002 WSOP Limit Omaha event. John's other first place finishes include the 1999 WSOP Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo winning $24,000, in 2000 John had four 1st place finishes the first in the L.A Poker Classic, Limit Hold'em and Seven Card event earning $40,000, the WSOP Limit Omaha Hi/Lo winning $14,00, the California State Poker Classic, Pot Limit Omaha event earning $17,550 and the Limit Hold'em event at the Legends of Poker. In 2001 John finished first in the California State Championship, Limit Seven Card Hi/Lo event and then went on to win the World Poker Finals, Limit Seven Card Stud event and then the United States Poker Championship, Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event. 2002 was also a good year for John with another four 1ST place finishes including WSOP Limit Omaha event, California State Poker Limit Hold'em and Omaha event, the Four Queens Poker Classic Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event and the U.S Poker Championship Limit Seven Card Stud event. In 2003 John made seven 1st place finishes including the L.A Poker Classic World Poker tour Season 1 No Limit Hold'em event also at this poker tour he came first in the Limit Seven Card Stud event he then went on to win first place at the WSOP No Limit Hold'em event at the Austrian Masters Limit H.O.E, he returned to the Austrian Classics in November to win the Limit Hold'em event he also won the Limit Seven Card Stud at both the World Poker Tour Finals Season 2 and the United States Poker Championship. In 2004 he finished first in both the Shooting Star-WPT Season two Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and the L.A Poker Classic- WPT Season 2 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. John didn't have as much success in 2005 but had three good finishes including 5th place at the World Poker Tour Season 3, Pokerstars Caribbean Poker Adventure, 15th place at the WSOP Short-handed (6 table) No Limit Hold'em and 4th place at the WSOP Limit Hold'em event.
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