Poker Articles

Glazer: Legendary Poker Writer

Editors Note: As we continue to host great writers at PokerPages, it’s hard not to remember one of the greatest writers ever to grace our sport. Over the next months, we will be featuring Andy Glazer’s work from our collection of his timeless legacy. And we are so pleased that Andy Glazer’s friend and WSOP Champion, Phil Hellmuth, has written a special introduction for our retrospective. We feel it’s important to provide new readers and players with the opportunity to discover the writer that, in many ways, came to define poker journalism.

While attending a workshop on Buddhism in new age “Esalen” (a world famous spiritual retreat located on the ocean in California, 30 miles south of Pebble Beach); I skipped my class and went to relax in the natural hot springs hot tubs. Of course, the “dress code” was actually quite the opposite of one, it was, simply stated: no clothing allowed.

As I was luxuriating in a hot tub, watching the sunset, it came to my attention that another fellow in the tub was talking about a backgammon or poker tournament. What, tournament talk in a natural hot springs tub at one of the world’s most famous spiritual retreats? Surely I was hallucinating! As this fellow wrapped up his story curiosity got the better of me, and I asked him if he was talking about a poker tournament or a backgammon tournament. He replied poker, and asked me how I knew what he was talking about.

Now, I was studying Buddhism, and was working on being both silent and modest, so I undersold my next few answers a bit. But this fellow was much like a bloodhound that had a strong scent, as he kept persistently asking me more and more questions. Finally, cornered, I said, “My name is Phil Hellmuth jr.” Now imagine my shock, when this big 6' 5" naked fellow excitedly jumped up out of his seat, walked a couple steps over to me, and extended his hand saying, “Hi, I’m Andy Glazer, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Neither of our lives has been the same since.

Andy first talked me into letting him write my biography “Poker Brat.” In fact, Andy thought of the title “Poker Brat,” which is now my nickname, along with the “Bad boy of poker.” When I agreed to let him write it, he moved up to Palo Alto, and when the rents of Palo Alto became a bit too much for him, he eventually lived in my house with my family and I for 14 months.

At around this time, Andy started coming on the road with me to gather information for the book, and he fell into a job writing content for the WSOP (World Series of Poker) final tables. Before long, Andy was writing a column for the Detroit Free Press, Card Player magazine, and a number of other publications and online sites. As poker exploded, so did Andy! He became the best poker writer of our time, mixing colorful anecdotes about his beloved “Highlander” television show and “Star Wars” movies into his stories.

And, it must be said, right here and right now, that the whole poker world loved him! He had gained the trust, admiration, and respect of virtually everyone in our world. In fact, there were no Andy detractors anywhere to be found, and that is extremely rare in this eclectic poker world of ours.

In June 2004, Andy passed away, and the poker world is a little less bright for his passing. We all miss his constant presence at the WSOP final tables, and his clear straight up descriptions of the way those tables came down. His writings are oftentimes funny, always clever and entertaining, filled with wonderful analogies, and most of all, filled with truth. In a world of suicidal or beautiful plays, brilliance or self-destruction under pressure, cool deadly logic or emotionally undisciplined play, and bad beats or lucky draws, Glazer gives us the real deal. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.