Player Collapses During $2500 Razz at WSOP

Poker player Miami John Cernuto collapsed while playing at the $2500 Razz table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Tuesday.

From Pokerati.com:

Apparently he was raking a pot, at first people thought he was asleep, and then someone said I don't think he's breathing ... at which point they kinda poked him, and he fell to the ground felt.

Tournament officials stopped the clock and cleared the area while paramedics rushed to attend to him. No official medical report yet, but it appeared to be a heart attack. However, in the end, about 40 minutes later, he appeared to be OK. Like an injured athlete being carried off the field of play, Cernuto waved to the crowd and received an ovation as he left the Brasilia room and was calling someone on his cell phone en route to the hospital.

Before he became a professional poker player, John work as an air traffic controller at Miami Dade International Airport.

After his career as a traffic controller ended in 1981, John decided to turn his hobby of poker into a career.

He has had 33 cash finishes, won 3 WSOP bracelets and total career winnings exceed $3.8 million.