Post deleted by Mat Sklansky

[mephisto]

Just having heard the circuits interview on Gus Hansen, he commented directly about poker knowledge and books and reiterated his view that most books are overrated and outdated. I actually totally agree with this assessment.
In fact, let me take it one step further by saying that by knowing of the 'standard' knowledge in books, the smart poker player could theoretically use it as a 'tell' and do the things that will make you fold your hand as the book advises you to do.

What's great about poker is that there are so many ways to play the game, it's endless. I do 100% agree that for newbie players it's good to read a few good books as a background to educate you about all the 'standard' knowledge in poker and take it from there. But if a player does not tweak his strategy and deviate from 'standard' play, I'm sure that he will be steamrolled down by the more creative/aggressive player.

I highly recommend the Gus Hansen interview to everyone, especially in the last part where he analyzes a specific hand from WPT season 1 and says why he did it.