Despite what his nickname may lead you to believe, "Miami" John Cernuto is actually from Jersey City, N.J. Born in 1944, it was a long and circuitous road that led him to the life of a professional poker player.

Graduating from Florida State University with a degree in finance, John began a career as an air traffic controller - a job he thought would carry him into retirement. It was not to be, however, when, during a 1981 union strike, President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers including Cernuto. Displaced from his occupation, John decided to take a risk and moved to Las Vegas to try to make it as a professional poker player.

In retrospect, Cernuto realizes the skills he honed controlling airplanes were invaluable in the world of high-stakes gambling. He came to the table with the ability to deal with stress and make important decisions within a limited time frame - crucial elements of air traffic control as well as poker.

John wasn't exactly a stranger to the poker table when he made the move to Sin City, but his experience consisted almost entirely of defeating amateur players - which didn't prepare him for the serious competition he would soon encounter. By his own admission he was a chaser, he loved to see flops and he didn't have much discipline in terms of starting hand selection.

At first things went smoothly for him, making about as much at the card table as he did in his days of controlling aircraft, but it wasn't long before his wild play had his bankroll on the ropes. At one point he was even forced to pick up a gig dealing at the Stardust to help make ends meet.

While this period may not have been the most lucrative for Cernuto it was definitely a learning experience. He began playing tighter and focusing more on developing his strategy. He also started reading the books written by the best poker players in the world in order to profit from their years of experience.

It was at Amarillo Slim's 1988 Super Bowl of Poker in Lake Tahoe when things finally clicked for "Miami" John. After spending the night brushing up on Chip Reese's section on Stud in "Super/System" Cernuto mowed down the field, winning the tournament and bolstering his confidence with the idea he could make it as a professional after all.

It was actually at a Seven-Card Stud tournament in Vegas where John got his nickname. He was accustomed to using his initials, J.C., but found there were a number of other players who shared those letters. He registered under the name "'Miami' John" and ended up taking down the tournament. A $50,000 prize convinced him the nickname was good enough to keep and the rest, as they say, is history.

Comfortable with any variation of poker, Cernuto is nevertheless regarded as one of the world's very best Omaha Hi-Lo players. With more cashes than anyone else in the world in that game, it's not hard to see why. Despite being a tournament specialist since the days when tournaments were being pioneered, Cernuto is also a regular at the cash tables, usually in a mid-to-high stakes mixed game. When John's not on the tournament trail he can be found in Las Vegas where he lives with his wife and three children.