I am just finishing up Missouri and Me.

 I think Glen Garrod has a very accessible concise and entertaining style of writing. The quick jabs of the stories he tells play out like poker hands, some are over quick, some take much longer, but the tension of the outcome of each one is well maintained. The poker life that Glen and Missouri Dave chose, is revealed to me in reading Glen’s stories. You got to love the life.  And it is clear, they love the life.

In one of the final chapters, Glen explains that even today he still gets a sensation, a thrill, whenever he first enters a poker room, hears the ‘cricket-like clatter’ of poker chips. I know a little about that because I still feel a bit of a twinge whenever I walk into a pool room. Though I never achieved what Glen, and Missouri Dave achieved in their specialty, I had my moments on a pool table way back – long lost as to any skill at the game today – but yet it resonates with me when I hear the ceramic click of those pool balls.  As Fast Eddie Felson said in ‘The Hustler’, ‘Didn’t know you could get clay balls to move that way’.

 I really enjoyed reading the book. I would compare reading the book to reading Playing Off The Rail by David McCumber about the world of 9 ball. It opens up the adventure and explains the allure. A fun read that makes me respect even more those who took the risk and made it pay off.  I especially liked the story about schooling Richard Pryor. And the one about meeting Michael Ondaatje who was doing research for a novel (I now plan on reading Divisadero). All the stories about The Big Game were totally entertaining.

–Bob Malone
Portland, Oregon published poet and the writer of two novels.

I purchased Glen’s book and am loving it. I am currently vacationing in the Cayman Islands. I brought 3 books with me. I can’t put ‘Missouri and Me’ down long enough to even start the other two.

— Dick Cooper, Nevada City, California

I once had the opportunity to sit behind Glen as he played in a big money poker game. After forty-five minutes, I had to walk away because my anxiety levels were through the roof, broiling further as the piles of chips grew larger.

If you’re like me, you can’t help but be captivated by the notion of professional poker, and what it must be like to build a life on a career with such high stakes and where skill can take you far, but where luck also plays a role. Glen Garrod’s Missouri & Me realizes the romanticism of being at the table, on the road, and in the life of a professional poker player throughout the decades leading up to the online poker revolution.

This book offers an intimate look into the life of Glen Garrod, whose personal experiences and insights form the core of the narrative.

Glen’s unique voice and perspective draw readers into his world, fostering a deep connection with him and his close-knit group of friends, as well as the strangers he encountered along the chapters of his life.

His captivating stories provide an insider’s view of a master poker player, alongside the adventures of a man who embodies both carefree spirit and determination.

As you journey through the decades of Glen’s life, you’ll enjoy a fast-paced and entertaining ride filled with passion for the game and the bonds of friendship that surround it. From the opening chapters and through the end of this saga, my love for the author’s voice and his world grew and grew.

This book touched my heart and opened my mind. Read Missouri & Me and you’ll find yourself falling in love with Glen, Missouri Dave, and the exhilarating game of poker itself as it was before it went mainstream and we all went digital.

—Eve Imagine, Editor, Missouri & Me