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Sometimes his writing had the sting of a scorpion, but his honesty and intergrity will be missed. Andy Glazer passed away on Sunday 4th July 2004 aged only 48. Mark, Tina and team at PokerPages send their condolences to his family, friends and fellow poker players. Read his Biography...

Andy Glazer: Covering Heaven's Game
by Amy Calistri

While most Americans spent the weekend celebrating their country's independence, I found myself celebrating the life, and mourning the loss, of one of poker's most respected writers. Andy Glazer, writer for The Detroit Free Press, Card Player Magazine, and a number of online poker sites, died on July 4th at the age of 48.

The very first poker article I ever read was one of Andy's pieces in the Detroit Free Press. It was many years ago now, but I still remember the excitement I felt as each sentence brought the game to life. His tournament reports were never merely a recounting of events. Every piece offered an insight into the belly of our beast: the players, the strategy, and the texture of the encounter. Even today's televised events, where every card and every breath is recorded for all to see, are no match for the depth, feel and insight Andy's articles consistently provided. Andy had that rare capacity writers strive for, the Triple Crown ability to inform, entertain, and instruct.

When I first started writing about poker, I sent some of my work to Andy's email address. I figured I would probably never hear from him, but I also felt I had nothing to lose. Within the day, Andy sent me a full critique of my work. He didn't tell me what I wanted to hear and he didn't dissuade me from writing. He told me what he thought I needed to think about, and work on, to become a better writer. Through our correspondence, I learned what was most important to Andy: journalist integrity, ethics, sportsmanship, and accuracy. He was his harshest critic and held himself to almost unattainable standards. And through him, I discovered that the toughest questions a journalist asks are the ones he asks of himself.

Andy came upon his calling a little later in life than most. He started out as a lawyer, moved into teaching, worked in a West Coast spa and retreat, and eventually dedicated more energy to his writing. When he discovered poker, he found a community and game he both enjoyed and respected. Maybe it was because he struggled and searched so long to find his "home" that he felt compelled to protect and preserve it. He felt part of his mission, as a journalist, was to fight for all that was good about the game and the profession he admired. Just as he set high expectations for himself, he also demanded the same from all those that inhabited poker's sphere. No battle is without cost and for Andy, sometimes the price for being the game's defender was high. Over the course of his career he turned down many lucrative opportunities that he felt might in some way compromise his objectivity. And I know there were many times when he took positions in a column that put him at odds with formidable factions of the poker community. Andy would be the first to admit that he didn't win every battle, but he always felt that the integrity of the sport was worth fighting for.

In some ways, I find it strange that my life was effected and changed by someone I never met in person. But perhaps more amazing is mine is just one story among the hundreds of stories that people told about Andy this week. His skill, his wit, his wisdom, his kindness and his dedication apparently escaped no one who ever made a final table, directed a tournament, shared his profession, or read even one of his articles. While we have been blessed with many talented writers that have chosen poker as their focus, the loss of Andy's unique perspective will leave a void.

Just as there is no one person who can eulogize him, there is no tribute large enough to encompass the contributions Andy Glazer made to this sport. But I can't think of any higher honor, for the writers that cover this game, than receiving an Andy Glazer Award for Journalist Integrity.

My condolences go out to Andy Glazer's friends and family and to all of those who will miss his voice.

Amy Calisti, also known as 'Oil Doe', writes for PokerSchool Online a series of reviews & quizzes based on books from our Reading List. Read more...

Andy Glazer - Biography

Andrew N.S. ("Andy") Glazer was the weekly gambling columnist for the Detroit Free Press, the author of Casino Gambling the Smart Way, and was the online guide for poker information site for which he wrote many World Series of Poker tournament reports. Andy was generally considered to be the finest tournament reporter of his generation, and has written on a regular basis for both Card Player and Poker Digest magazines.

Andy was also a world class poker player, with many small tournament wins, two finishes in the money at the Tournament of Champions, and (as he put it) "an annoying number of final table finishes in big tournaments." Andy was annoyed because once he gets to the final table, he wants to win.

Andy has also written for almost every gambling magazine and website of consequence, and was called "a poker scholar" in the May 17, 1999 issue of Newsweek Magazine.

These accomplishments aside, what made PokerSchool Online so excited about adding Andy to the school was that he is not merely an outstanding player and writer, but also a proven teacher, having taught at Emory Law School, the Georgia State University School of Business Administration, the National Center for Paralegal Training, and the National Center for Educational Testing, where he taught courses in subjects like SAT, LSAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation. "One of my earliest teachers told me that if you couldn't explain a concept, you didn't understand it," Andy says, "and so I always tried to learn that way. I think I became a good teacher as a result."

Andy also practiced law, was the COO of a very successful division of a now public company, was a professional backgammon player, a chef, and a masseur. "I like learning new skills," Andy said. "So I've never been afraid to take on new kinds of challenges. I think that interest in learning has helped me rise fairly quickly in the professional poker ranks."

Andy got his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and his law degree at Emory University. He claimed to be working diligently on a postgraduate degree in the "School of Hard Knocks."

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