WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 9
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $1,500 (+70)
Number of Entries: 134
Total Prize Money: $194,970
Official Results:
1. ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, Las Vegas, NV, $70,190
2. Patrick McMillan, St. Charles, MO, 38,995
3. Mike Ruter, Huntington Beach, CA, 21,445
4. Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, Walnut Creek, CA, 15,600
5. Aidilily Eluro, Hollywood, FL, 13,650
6. Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 11,700
7. David Levi, Las Vegas, NV, 9,750
8. Abraham Gray, Lawrenceville, GA, 7,800
9. John Hoang, Alhambra, CA, 5,850
It’s Miami John!
In June 1982, John Cernuto was fired from his government job. Cernuto was an air traffic controller based in Miami. His union went out on strike and rather than negotiate a settlement, President Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. Out of work, Cernuto wasn’t sure what to do next.
Cernuto admits going through a tough readjustment period during the mid-1980s, trying to find his place in life. He started playing in poker tournaments during this period, and to his surprise discovered that he had a talent for the game. That led to a series of tournament victories over the next several years and a gradual decision that his career choice would turn to playing poker professionally. Cernuto gravitated to Las Vegas, and true to his Florida roots, was tagged with the nickname “Miami John.”
“At the time, getting fired was not the best thing that ever happened to me, because it was my chosen lifelong profession,” Cernuto said. “But in the end, things have really worked out and looking back now, it really was a good thing.”
Cernuto added yet another tournament victory to his impressive poker resume, which includes three WSOP gold bracelets. Cernuto is widely acknowledged as one of the best Omaha High-Low players in the world, although he admits he is “still learning” no-limit hold’em. With big wins in no-limit at the Commerce Casino (Los Angeles) last year, and another victory here at Lake Tahoe, one must wonder how long his no-limit ‘education’ will continue.
The ironic thing about Cernuto’s latest victory is that it, quite frankly, shouldn’t have happened. Although Cernuto came to the final table close to the chip lead, his first two hours of play were not encouraging. Cernuto lost half of his stack and was ‘all in’ at least a few times. At one point, Cernuto was completely down to the felt and was drawing very slim. When play was six handed, Cernuto was dealt 7-7 and moved ‘all in’ against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked as if Cernuto would be eliminated, he miraculously caught a third seven on the river, completely reversing the outcome of the final table. That was the jet stream that put the former air traffic controller into the winners’ circle.
Lake Tahoe’s $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, attracted 134 entries competing for $194,970 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 125 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O’Hagan holding a slight chip lead over the field. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1: Abraham Gray, 43,700
SEAT 2: John Hoang, 16,700
SEAT 3: Aidilily Eluro, 22,600
SEAT 4: David Levi, 11,900
SEAT 5: Tony O’Hagan, 83,400
SEAT 6: Mike Ruter, 29,100
SEAT 7: ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, 81,000
SEAT 8: Patrick McMillan, 28,200
SEAT 9: Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, 18,900
Players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place – It took 90 minutes for the first elimination to occur. John Hoang arrived second-lowest in chips and could not survive the gradual increase in blinds and antes. The Vietnamese-born poker player, currently ranked 6th in Card Player’s tournament rankings (eight final table appearances thus far in 2005) took 9th-place prize money,
8th Place – This was Abraham Gray’s second trip to the final table. He went out in the third hour of play when his Q-J lost to A-Q. Gray collected $7,800 for 8th place.
7h Place – David Levi moved ‘all in’ with pocket 4s but was dominated by Mike Ruter’s pocket jacks. On the turn, the board showed 3-4-7-J giving Ruter trip jacks. But Levi had and inside-straight draw. A harmless ace fell on the river, and Levi was out in 7th place with $9,750.
6th Place – One of the most exciting hands of the tournament took place next when ‘Miami John’ Cernuto was ‘all in’ with 7-7 against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked Miami John would be bounced off the final table, a lucky 7 fell in the river and Miami John survived. That hand would doom Tony O’Hagan to a 6th place finish. He went out a short time later when he was short-stacked and lost a hand to Aidilily Eluro. This was O’Hagan’s third final table appearance at this year’s Lake Tahoe event. He collected $11,700.
5th Place – Aidilily Eluro was the only woman at the final table. She had a decent chip count, but was ultimately knocked out with 10-10 against Miami John’s A-J. The flop of K-Q-J gave Eluro several outs, but two blanks put her on the rail in 5th place, good for $13,365.
4th Place – Miami John continued to spike good cards. With plenty of chips where he could afford to gamble, he called Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew’s ‘all in’ raise with 10-9. Tahoe had A-10, leaving Miami John as a big underdog. Bang! A nine fell on the turn, sinking Tahoe in 4th place. Tahoe, a two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, received $15,600.
3rd Place – Mike Ruter was short-stacked and made his final stand of the night with a hand that was not shown. Cernuto and McMillan checked the hand down and McMIllan ended up dragging the small pot with an ace-high. Ruter was routed in 3rd place with $21,445.
The heads-up duel between ‘Miami John’ Cernuto and Patrick McMillan began with Cernuto holding a formidable 200,000 to 135,000 chip advantage. McMillan made things interesting, drawing close to even in chips at one point. But this was Cernuto’s night.
McMillan increased his stack with several aggressive moves, causing Cernuto to surrender the pot on many occasions. McMillan took advantage of Cernuto’s caution, which evolved into a counter-strategy whereby Cernuto would look for the right opportunity to set a ‘trap.’
The trap hand came when Cernuto allowed McMillan to keep betting at the pot, when the turn showed J-J-2-A. With 60,000 already in the pot, Cernuto bet 15,000, McMillan raised 30,000 more, and Cernuto moved ‘all in.” That prompted McMillan to fold and following the hand, he was outchipped by more than 6 to 1.
A few hands later, the six-hour finale ended when Cernuto was dealt pocket aces against McMillan’s A-10. McMillan was ‘all in’ before the flop and the final board – 7-3-2-2-K gave Cernuto the victory.
Patrick McMillan played a strong game and earned a well-deserved $38,995 as the runner up. The St. Charles, MO-based poker player, who prefers playing pot-limit Omaha, started the final table low on chips, outgunned by more than 3 to 1 against two opponents, including Miami John. He took his cards and stack as far as he could given the situation, coming close to the chip lead when the tournament was down to one-on-one. But Cernuto was too strong a force, especially with a flurry of well-timed cards.
‘Miami John’ Cernuto is one of the elite players in World Series of Poker history. He is a member of the “Millionaires Club,” an exclusive group of poker players with over $1 million in lifetime earnings at the WSOP. He added $70,190 to his poker bankroll for this victory. Looking back now, he can thank a lucky seven, pocket aces, and Ronald Reagan – not necessarily in that order.
Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr
Buy-in: $1,500 (+70)
Number of Entries: 134
Total Prize Money: $194,970
Official Results:
1. ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, Las Vegas, NV, $70,190
2. Patrick McMillan, St. Charles, MO, 38,995
3. Mike Ruter, Huntington Beach, CA, 21,445
4. Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, Walnut Creek, CA, 15,600
5. Aidilily Eluro, Hollywood, FL, 13,650
6. Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 11,700
7. David Levi, Las Vegas, NV, 9,750
8. Abraham Gray, Lawrenceville, GA, 7,800
9. John Hoang, Alhambra, CA, 5,850
It’s Miami John!
Three-time gold bracelet winner Cernuto adds a gold ring to his collection
In June 1982, John Cernuto was fired from his government job. Cernuto was an air traffic controller based in Miami. His union went out on strike and rather than negotiate a settlement, President Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. Out of work, Cernuto wasn’t sure what to do next.
Cernuto admits going through a tough readjustment period during the mid-1980s, trying to find his place in life. He started playing in poker tournaments during this period, and to his surprise discovered that he had a talent for the game. That led to a series of tournament victories over the next several years and a gradual decision that his career choice would turn to playing poker professionally. Cernuto gravitated to Las Vegas, and true to his Florida roots, was tagged with the nickname “Miami John.”
“At the time, getting fired was not the best thing that ever happened to me, because it was my chosen lifelong profession,” Cernuto said. “But in the end, things have really worked out and looking back now, it really was a good thing.”
Cernuto added yet another tournament victory to his impressive poker resume, which includes three WSOP gold bracelets. Cernuto is widely acknowledged as one of the best Omaha High-Low players in the world, although he admits he is “still learning” no-limit hold’em. With big wins in no-limit at the Commerce Casino (Los Angeles) last year, and another victory here at Lake Tahoe, one must wonder how long his no-limit ‘education’ will continue.
The ironic thing about Cernuto’s latest victory is that it, quite frankly, shouldn’t have happened. Although Cernuto came to the final table close to the chip lead, his first two hours of play were not encouraging. Cernuto lost half of his stack and was ‘all in’ at least a few times. At one point, Cernuto was completely down to the felt and was drawing very slim. When play was six handed, Cernuto was dealt 7-7 and moved ‘all in’ against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked as if Cernuto would be eliminated, he miraculously caught a third seven on the river, completely reversing the outcome of the final table. That was the jet stream that put the former air traffic controller into the winners’ circle.
Lake Tahoe’s $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, attracted 134 entries competing for $194,970 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 125 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O’Hagan holding a slight chip lead over the field. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1: Abraham Gray, 43,700
SEAT 2: John Hoang, 16,700
SEAT 3: Aidilily Eluro, 22,600
SEAT 4: David Levi, 11,900
SEAT 5: Tony O’Hagan, 83,400
SEAT 6: Mike Ruter, 29,100
SEAT 7: ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, 81,000
SEAT 8: Patrick McMillan, 28,200
SEAT 9: Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, 18,900
Players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place – It took 90 minutes for the first elimination to occur. John Hoang arrived second-lowest in chips and could not survive the gradual increase in blinds and antes. The Vietnamese-born poker player, currently ranked 6th in Card Player’s tournament rankings (eight final table appearances thus far in 2005) took 9th-place prize money,
8th Place – This was Abraham Gray’s second trip to the final table. He went out in the third hour of play when his Q-J lost to A-Q. Gray collected $7,800 for 8th place.
7h Place – David Levi moved ‘all in’ with pocket 4s but was dominated by Mike Ruter’s pocket jacks. On the turn, the board showed 3-4-7-J giving Ruter trip jacks. But Levi had and inside-straight draw. A harmless ace fell on the river, and Levi was out in 7th place with $9,750.
6th Place – One of the most exciting hands of the tournament took place next when ‘Miami John’ Cernuto was ‘all in’ with 7-7 against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked Miami John would be bounced off the final table, a lucky 7 fell in the river and Miami John survived. That hand would doom Tony O’Hagan to a 6th place finish. He went out a short time later when he was short-stacked and lost a hand to Aidilily Eluro. This was O’Hagan’s third final table appearance at this year’s Lake Tahoe event. He collected $11,700.
5th Place – Aidilily Eluro was the only woman at the final table. She had a decent chip count, but was ultimately knocked out with 10-10 against Miami John’s A-J. The flop of K-Q-J gave Eluro several outs, but two blanks put her on the rail in 5th place, good for $13,365.
4th Place – Miami John continued to spike good cards. With plenty of chips where he could afford to gamble, he called Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew’s ‘all in’ raise with 10-9. Tahoe had A-10, leaving Miami John as a big underdog. Bang! A nine fell on the turn, sinking Tahoe in 4th place. Tahoe, a two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, received $15,600.
3rd Place – Mike Ruter was short-stacked and made his final stand of the night with a hand that was not shown. Cernuto and McMillan checked the hand down and McMIllan ended up dragging the small pot with an ace-high. Ruter was routed in 3rd place with $21,445.
The heads-up duel between ‘Miami John’ Cernuto and Patrick McMillan began with Cernuto holding a formidable 200,000 to 135,000 chip advantage. McMillan made things interesting, drawing close to even in chips at one point. But this was Cernuto’s night.
McMillan increased his stack with several aggressive moves, causing Cernuto to surrender the pot on many occasions. McMillan took advantage of Cernuto’s caution, which evolved into a counter-strategy whereby Cernuto would look for the right opportunity to set a ‘trap.’
The trap hand came when Cernuto allowed McMillan to keep betting at the pot, when the turn showed J-J-2-A. With 60,000 already in the pot, Cernuto bet 15,000, McMillan raised 30,000 more, and Cernuto moved ‘all in.” That prompted McMillan to fold and following the hand, he was outchipped by more than 6 to 1.
A few hands later, the six-hour finale ended when Cernuto was dealt pocket aces against McMillan’s A-10. McMillan was ‘all in’ before the flop and the final board – 7-3-2-2-K gave Cernuto the victory.
Patrick McMillan played a strong game and earned a well-deserved $38,995 as the runner up. The St. Charles, MO-based poker player, who prefers playing pot-limit Omaha, started the final table low on chips, outgunned by more than 3 to 1 against two opponents, including Miami John. He took his cards and stack as far as he could given the situation, coming close to the chip lead when the tournament was down to one-on-one. But Cernuto was too strong a force, especially with a flurry of well-timed cards.
‘Miami John’ Cernuto is one of the elite players in World Series of Poker history. He is a member of the “Millionaires Club,” an exclusive group of poker players with over $1 million in lifetime earnings at the WSOP. He added $70,190 to his poker bankroll for this victory. Looking back now, he can thank a lucky seven, pocket aces, and Ronald Reagan – not necessarily in that order.
Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr
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