Irish Open regular Zeik Tuit has scored his best-ever live tournament result with a deep run in the 2026 WSOP $10k PLO tournament.
Tuit, a former trawler captain from Rosscarbery, finished in 46th place in the PLO tournament for a monster cash of $32,029. There were 836 entries in the event, which was eventually won by Michael Mizrachi.
Tuit’s huge cash topped a hugely successful trip to Vegas in which the 56-year-old made the money in six different tournaments. He’s particularly proud of his finish in the $10k PLO as he was down to just 12 big blinds at the end of Day 1. He said: “I’m very happy, especially considering the chips I had to work with. It’s the typical bitter-sweet feeling of going deep in any tournament – the disappointment of busting with such a huge payday up top but then the sense of achievement in going so deep.”
On Day 2, Tuit enjoyed a flurry of cards about 15 off the money which took him up to 38 big blinds. He added: “I carried 20 BBs through the bubble and then managed to ladder my way up from a min cash right up to $32,000. I finally bust for a 27 big blind pot with 80% equity going into the river.”
Tuit made the money in two other WSOP events, including 317th in the $1k Seniors for $3,080, along with cashes in 5-Card PLO events at the Aria, Wynn and Venetian. His total haul came to over $42,000. Tuit enjoyed huge support from home during his 18-day Vegas trip, with the Clonakilty Poker Society writing: “We’re all absolutely buzzing for him and couldn’t be prouder. Watching one of our own step onto one of the biggest stages in poker, making the big decisions, taking on every challenge and chasing the dream – that’s what it’s all about.”
Tuit, who has been playing the Irish Open for decades, hit our headlines back in February when we discovered that he was lying second in the Irish Open all-time cashes leaderboard. It was a remarkable achievement for someone who has only ever played poker part-time while concentrating on his work as a fisherman and raising a family. And, despite all his commitments, he is STILL in joint fourth place on the leaderboard – alongside Paddy Power Ambassador and award-winning podcaster Dara O’Kearney. The current leader – by some distance – is Jamie Flynn with a total of 26 Irish Open cashes.
