Zynga Poker exec quits

The former general manager of Zynga Poker has quit the social gaming giant.

As unearthed by AllThingsD, Laurence Toney revealed the move through LinkedIn, where he updated his profile to his new job as a start-up advisor and mentor.

Toney had been at Zynga for two-and-a-half years after joining in March 2010, helping drive the company’s Poker franchise as one of its most successful and profitable titles.

Towards the end of his time at the social gaming giant, he also held a general manager role in mobile, working on the publishing side of the business.

“My departure is less about Zynga and more about the vast number of opportunities that currently exist in the Valley,” he said.

“I have been approached by several organisations to lead teams and companies that I find exciting and compelling. It is the right time for me in my career to move on.”

Zynga Poker was released in July 2007 as the studio’s debut title on Facebook, and currently records almost 40 million active users per month.

Toney’s decision to quit comes after a wave of other departures at Zynga, which includes the likes of John Schappert, Jeff Karp, Nils Puhlmann, Mike Verdu and Alan Patmore.