Andy Glazer Followed His Dreams

by Phil Hellmuth | Published: Aug 13, 2004

It is with a heavy heart that I write my first column since the passing of one of my two best friends – Andy Glazer. I am proud of the fact that I have handled myself with the highest honor and integrity over all of my adult life, and Andy and I were like-minded in this regard. We both saw how each other acted "when the chips were down." It is difficult for me to lose one of only a few people who really knew me.

Thank you, Andy, for all of the love, support, and help you provided me in writing Play Poker Like the Pros. Andy's sister is starting the "Andy Glazer Scholarship Fund." It will be funded, in part, by 10 percent of the royalties from the above-mentioned book, as well as Andy's new Idiots Guide to Poker, which was a plum writing assignment for Andy to pick up. This book, which Andy had just finished writing, will be out by September.

As I page through recent Card Player magazines, I see a big photo of Andy on the inside back cover, various other photos of Andy, as well as two excellent articles of his in each issue. Andy's impact in Card Player was much like his impact on the poker world: He was everywhere! He covered more tournaments in a year than I played. He was a big part of the modern poker world, and his passing will leave a void that no one will be able to fill, as his writing style was so great and his persona so gentle. He had everyone's respect, and I have never, ever, heard anyone say anything bad about him.

Andy and I met at a spiritual place in Northern California called Esalan, a beautiful and magical place located just south of the Monterey Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, with high cliffs, a cascading waterfall, and famous natural hot springs. Somehow, my wife convinced me – for our annual one-week vacation away from the kids – to go there to study Tibetan Buddhism with the Lama Surya Das and eat vegetarian food all week. ("Honey, they have natural springs hot tubs where everyone is naked at all times," she coaxed.)

So, there I was one night – when I had to skip both class and dinner in order to be at the hot tubs virtually alone – sitting in a natural springs hot tub, when two men sat down and started talking about what sounded like, of all things, a poker tournament. Que pasa? Wasn't I at the most spiritual place in the world? If nothing else, this shows Andy's diversity (the fact that he could be there talking about a poker tournament). By the way, my wife and I were practicing both silence and modesty that week. (I know what you're thinking: Modesty isn't Phil's strong suit!) I listened in on the two men and got a kick out of their conversation. At the end of Andy's long story, and believe me when I say that Andy could talk, I asked if he was talking about poker or backgammon. Andy said, "Poker."

Then, he asked, "Why, do you play poker?"

I answered, "Yes, I play a little poker." (I felt pretty coy, but I was trying to practice modesty.)

He then asked, "Oh, you play in any tournaments?"

I said, "Yes, sometimes."

He asked, "You play in any big ones?"

I responded, "Yes."

Andy continued: "You play any World Series of Poker events?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever win any of them?"

"Yes." (Now, Andy straightened up a bit in the hot tub.)

"Did you ever win the main event?"

"Yes." (Now, he sat up a bit more.)

"What is your name?"

"Phil Hellmuth."

Try to imagine this: Three of us are sitting in a huge hot tub right next to the ocean, beneath a beautiful cliff. I'm feeling calm and serene, when Andy suddenly jumps up (naked!), takes two steps toward me while thrusting out his hand, and says, "Hi, I'm Andy Glazer; nice to meet you." I shake his hand, and then he turns to his friend and says, "Phil saying he plays 'a little poker' is like Michael Jordan saying he plays 'a little basketball.'" With this introduction made, Andy subsequently sent me his book Casino Gambling the Smart Way, looking for a jacket blurb.

A few years prior to that, Andy was on his way as a successful attorney in Atlanta. One reason he quit practicing law was that he had a case in which the defendant was obviously guilty (Andy considered the case not winnable), and the issue of when the trial was to take place was to be decided in a hearing. Andy saw an opportunity: He knew the D.A. wasn't ready to go to trial, and he had the option in the hearing of stating he wanted to go to trial immediately. Believing he couldn't win in any case, Andy quickly prepared himself and surprised the D.A. by stating he was ready to go two days after the hearing. With the D.A. unprepared, Andy won the case for his client. In doing his job well and securing the winning verdict, it nonetheless left a bad taste in his mouth, especially after more drug dealers flocked to his office door.

So, he decided to give up the money and prestige associated with being a successful criminal defense attorney and pursue the thing he had loved so much in college while writing for the school newspaper. After a brief sojourn creating a video for aspiring law students, a writing career was to be his next move.

At about that time, Andy took a two-week vacation to Esalan that ultimately turned into a 20-month stay! During his stay, he cooked vegetarian food in the kitchen, gave massages, and had one heck of a good time, by all reports. This was an integral part of the "Andy following his dream" theme, and he remained well-connected to Esalan until the end of this life. Andy's time at Esalan was spent having fun, exploring himself, and becoming a better human being.

At the time of our initial meeting, I had decided to write my autobiography, which Andy eventually had the idea of calling Poker Brat. I was deciding with whom I wanted to write it, Andy or Dana Smith, when Andy moved up to Palo Alto and made my decision that much easier. While Andy and I stalled on the book, and in truth didn't finish more than one or two chapters (none collaboratively), Andy started trailing me on the poker circuit to gain insight into my life.

One day he came up to me and said, "Phil, I've accepted the job of tournament reporter at the World Series of Poker." The next thing I knew, Andy was writing columns for the Detroit Free Press, Card Player, and various websites throughout the world. Andy had given up being a highly successful attorney in Atlanta in order to follow his dream of becoming a writer.

One thing about Andy was that he took losing hard, even harder than I do. He always looked back at Tunica's championship event the year Humberto Brenes won it (2002), because he had a ton of chips and lost most of them when the flop came down 9-8-7 and he had Q-10 against Humberto's J-10. I was at the table for that hand, and can tell you that it bothered him for two years afterward.

By the end of his life, things were really coming up roses for Andy. He had assisted me with my book Play Poker Like the Pros, had just finished his book The Idiots Guide to Poker, had won two tournaments in Australia in January (one of which was fresh off a 16-hour plane trip), and had just signed a lucrative contract with FinalTablePoker.com. I believe that Andy had written almost 400,000 words in all of his WSOP stories, and he was planning on having me and a few others help him turn "the highlights" into a book.

Andy left a lot on the table. Like many of us, he dreamed of winning the WSOP main event, World Poker Tour tournaments, and other WSOP events. I believe he would have written many other books; certainly, he would have continued to be the best writer in the poker world; he would have won many poker tournaments (especially in seven-card stud, where his recent results were impressive); and I have faith that he would have finally found what he was looking for in a solid wife and children – he was great with my kids.

After his funeral, we had a "party," at which we celebrated with stories about his life. Andy had a list of the top 100 movies of all time, and would openly debate anyone over his beloved list. Andy, I loved you, but Hopscotch and Stripes didn't belong in the top five! Andy had three or four "loves of his life" get away (he lived and loved). He supported me and defended me for years on RGP and other forums. He listened to me and counseled me when I was feeling down – one memorable time taking my phone call at 3 a.m.!

Andy loved his mother, his sister (Donna), his brother-in-law (Ken), his friends, Star Trek, Star Wars, Highlander ("There can be only one!"), poker, women, the Michigan Wolverines (he sweated every play), hot tubs (he owned a hot tub previously owned by a famous movie star, and kept it in his backyard in L.A.), baseball rotisseries with his old friends (I remember him spending so much time on this), the NCAA basketball tournament (he would watch as many games as possible), my wife, my sons, and his dreams.

Andy was a true-blue friend to me, a man of honor, courage, and gentleness, and a man I could trust with my very life. I'll really miss Andy Glazer, and watching him follow his dreams.