No Phishing This Fisherman: Zynga Sweepstakes Winner Takes Shot at WPT500

By Sean Chaffin

The fresh email in his inbox just seemed so out of nowhere. Was it spam or a phishing expedition? Was a friend playing a joke on him? John Abercrombie just didn’t know.

“I got an email back in January that my name was drawn to play in this tournament,” he said on Monday during Day 1E of the Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas at ARIA. “I hesitated to answer it, but I did eventually. I sent a reply back to see what they were trying to get out of me.”

The email had come from Zynga, where he’s a regular player including WPT-branded tournaments and ring games. The original email said he’d been a winner of the site’s sweepstakes drawing and had won a complete buy-in and travel package for the event. Despite that, the offer still just seemed to unreal.

“I filled out some of the paperwork and sent it in to them,” he says. “They started sending me hotel reservations and asked what day I wanted to play, what flight I wanted to play, and airline tickets. Then the woman who set up travel arrangements called me and confirmed it was real.”

After getting everything lined up, Abercrombie knew he’d been given an amazing opportunity.

“I love to play poker and I’ve always wanted to play in a bigger tournament,” he says. “It was exciting.”

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Abercrombie is a regular player in charitable fundraising games in the area. He’s a recreational player and plays on Zynga when he can’t be at a live table.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” he says. “I’ve got a lot of friends who play on there and we get together sometimes and play on there together.”

That doesn’t include any side action – simply playing for fun.

Back in Cleveland, Abercrombie is retired after a 30-year career in project management in the nuclear industry. He now works as a consultant, traveling around the country working with major utility companies. That travel makes it possible to hit the casinos on occasion when he’s on the road.

“Usually I’ve got a few people with me and a couple of us will go to the casino and get something to eat,” he says. “We’ll maybe play some slots and I’ll play some poker, small tournaments, and stuff.”

Married with four children and two grandchildren, fishing is also a passion for Abercrombie. For several years that included running a charter boat business on Lake Erie. He led anglers out on the water with hopes of reeling in a nice walleye or steelhead.

He still fishes on the lake, but doesn’t have time to work as a charter captain now that he’s traveling the country for work. What’s the biggest ever reeled in on one of those charter trips?

“We caught a 16-pounder one time,” he says. “That’s a good-size walleye.”

Just before the second break in the day, Abercrombie was sent to the rail when his trip jacks were beaten by a rivered flush. He enjoyed chatting and getting to know other players at his table. The international flavor of a WPT event was particularly appealing. 

“It’s been good,” he said. “Sitting at the table we had some different nationalities. We had a guy from France. We had another guy from England, so it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience. The people here from Zynga have been very nice to us.” 

That included a dinner Sunday night with WPT Commentator Vince Van Patten, Executive Tour Director Matt Savage, WPT President and CEO Adam Pliska, and Royal Flush Crew member Caitlyn Howe.

Despite not making the money on Monday, there’s always a chance this fisherman will put his boat back in the water. A re-entry could help reel in a big at the poker table and he didn’t rule it out. 

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.