Why reading the books is necessary. Some don't think it is...

The books aren’t really telling you anything you don’t already intuitively know, except for the math. And, even without doing the math, you can tell whether a raise, or call, or fold is mostly necessary. By nature, in fact, some of you are just plain aggressive all the time, and you’re mostly right in doing so.

But, knowing how to articulate the “why” in a concise manner can only make you better. Not because you have to explain it to someone but because you’re completely confident in your thoughts. When Sheets plays a tournament, he’s done so much homework that most of his tough decisions have already been worked out. He still takes his time to make moves, but he’s probably much more confident in his decisions than someone who hasn’t done their homework.

When I am faced with a tough decision, mostly I am picking a side, going with it, and when I’m wrong, I’m on tilt.

But, think about it…if I pick a decision that I can clearly defend (without just saying something like, “I thought he was bluffing”) then the focus becomes more on my play, and much less on my results. Reading the books, then, helps you to become more confident in your play, gets you started on doing some homework, and helps you to have a clear basic strategy.