For the last 37 years, Zeik Tuit has been forging a living as a fisherman out of West Cork. He was a deck hand at 19, bought his first boat when he was 23 and then spent the next 25 years as a trawler captain running his own fleet.
Zeik has spent almost the entirety of his working life at sea and, even when he finally hung up his oilskins in 2019, he continued to run his own fish distribution business in his hometown of Rosscarbery.
It’s not exactly the standard CV for a man sitting second on the all-time Irish Open cashes leaderboard. With 17 Irish Open cashes to his name (including three last year), Zeik currently trails only one man in the whole history of the festival. And the company he’s keeping is elite.
Current rankings
The leaderboard reads like a roll call of modern Irish poker. Out in front with a total of 20 Irish Open cashes – including five last year alone – is Jamie “Jamfly” Flynn, one of Ireland’s most respected pros and a player with more than $1.2 million in live tournament earnings.
In joint third place, with 16 cashes apiece, are award-winning podcasters Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin, plus prolific Norwegian pro Jon Kyte (who cashed six times last year alone). Ireland’s highest-earning tournament player Andy Black is sixth; 2013 Irish Open champion Ian Simpson is joint seventh.
And right there – in SECOND PLACE – is Zeik, the fisherman from Rosscarbery.
As it happens, no one is more surprised about it than Zeik himself. He said: “I was so shocked!! I guess I am pleased to be among the many well-known pro players but I’m ultimately a recreational player … albeit one who plays a lot and has done so for many years.”
The key to success
So how does a man who spent most of his life hauling nets now find himself hauling in Irish Open cashes year after year?
Well, first of all, there’s commitment. Zeik has been playing the Irish Open for decades; his first recorded result was in 2004, but he reckons he’s been competing at the Irish Open even longer than that, back when it was held at the Merrion Club (and he was memorably busted by Jac Arama).
There’s also Zeik’s choice of game; he is a PLO specialist and most of his Hendon Mob results (totalling over $355k) are in PLO events. Most festivals are dominated by NLH so carving out a niche in Pot Limit Omaha has quietly paid dividends. (And he’ll be spoiled for choice at this year’s festival – we have ten different PLO events on the schedule.)
There is also hard work. Right from when he first started playing draw poker in pubs around West Cork, Zeik took the game seriously. He devoured poker strategy and psychology books and was diligent about applying his learning. He even played while out at sea and, on one memorable occasion, qualified for the Irish Open online while busy trawling for fish.
Running a fleet, launching a land-based distribution business and raising a family would be enough for most people but somehow Zeik has managed to juggle all of that with decades of competitive poker. It’s helped that his wife and three kids have always been very supportive, even though it’s meant Zeik is away nearly every Easter competing at the Irish Open.
Zeik said: “We would usually go away the week after Easter so I could make it up to them! And hopefully with a bit of extra cash!”
As a PLO super fan, Zeik – now 56 – is really looking forward to all the PLO tournaments at this year’s Irish Open. He said: “I am hugely excited by the PLO schedule. There are so many PLO events that I think the only No Limit Hold’em events I’ll play are the Main Event and the Seniors High Roller.”
Overtaking Jamie Flynn won’t be Zeik’s main objective at the 2026 festival though. He said: “He’s three spots ahead of me and a top pro like Jamie will also have a jam-packed schedule planned. It would be nice to retain my number 2 spot though!!
The 2026 Irish Open festival is taking place from March 26 to April 6 at the Royal Dublin Society with 86 different tournaments including the €2.5million guaranteed Main Event, €1m guaranteed Luxon Pay Mystery Bounty and €1m guaranteed Mini Irish Open.
See also our story about current cashes leader Jamie Flynn.
