I've now read the ISF theory posts and the Shania post. Good shit on the ISF theory.

I'm totally with you (ISF) that learning theory is wayyy wayyyy wayyy better than memorizing tips, guideline, charts, whatever.

However, I will say this:
I understand the Shania post (i believe). I appreciate it. It's pretty, like mommy. But also like mommy, quite elusive, distant. I've thought about it quite a bit (in the 20 minutes since reading it), and I feel I have no idea how to apply it to my game, or anyone else's game for that matter. At least in a way that's not open experimentation. Understanding that ranges affect the individual values of the hands contained within them and that adjusting ranges as a whole affects potential profits is one thing. Determining an ideal range to play for any given situation while sitting at a poker table is quite another. While I can do the latter to some extent based off of experience and what I know of the ranges of my opps, anyone who could explain more concretely how to apply this theory would have my undying gratitude. I'm sort of left wondering if I'm not good enough to apply it, if applying it is a long and hazy process involving experimentation + skill + experience and even then cannot be perfected, or if I simply don't fully understand the theory.

I do appreciate it though.

More on-topic, I don't know what problem people had with the ISF theory or any advice I've seen you post, as it's been insightful and helpful, and you haven't even been stingy with helping people apply your theory. Perhaps microstakes ranges are so big/unpredictable that it didn't even occur to some newbs that thinking in terms of ranges is helpful (I don't know -- I don't play online). Perhaps they simply didn't understand it at all. Perhaps people don't like theory, as you say.... Eh, screw em - plenty of us newbsy guys want more intelligent theory. Um, please.

Also, I aspire to someday be a #3 in Robb's hierarchy of posters. This would mean that my posts are sometimes read fully, but also that I can get drunk and rant violently about my wife to pokerhead strangers who generally put up with it because they're nice.