Book Smarts vs. Table Smarts
These days, it seems like you can't walk through a bookstore without tripping over a poker strategy book. How do you play A-K in early position short-handed? Should you raise with suited connectors on the button after the big stack smooth calls? When is it right to slow play pocket aces?
There are now dozens of books written by expert poker players that will answer all of those questions. I've seen entire chapters devoted to playing certain hands in particular circumstances. And while it's useful to understand why these authors make the suggestions they do, it's more important to realize that all of these questions have the same answer:
It depends.