Quote Originally Posted by Extremophile
If you read books there is a risk of copying the same ideas at wrong times. Also, everyone has diferent character and the author's way to play the hands may not be suitable for your character. The books will only restrict your game and imagination. Of course not the very basic ones.

This is very similar to chess in terms of playing your character. There are in general two types of players in chess. One has a solid style, trying to accumulate small advantages and go on to win. The other type is agressive, likes wild attacks and takes risks in order to win. In the very early years when chess was not as popular as today, there was only one chess book in my country Turkey written by Cuban ex-world champion J.R. Capablanca. He learnt chess by watching his father's games when he was 4. And he managed to beat his father at the age of 4 (!!). He was a super talent and had a very solid style. He was a player of the first type. However, since his book was the only book in Turkey, all players started to copy him. But not every player has the same talent for the way he played. This is why we wasted a lot of talents that may have created a lot of wild attacks.

I am very new in poker and contrary to what I did in chess, I am planning not to read any books. I will just learn how calculate probabilities and pot odds; and the experiences that I gain myself will, I believe, be more valuable than reading a book.
I was gonna ask you.. "Have you read any poker books?" but then I saw at the end of your post where you say you haven't and don't intend on doing so.
It's obvious you haven't read any books and are ASSUMING one will be playing according to how the book suggests. Any decent poker book is used as a tool to have the reader thinking in different ways and many of the books actually wirte about this very thing. They don't expect you to play the same was as the author but much can be gained when reviewing the author's interpretations.
Personally I've read in excess of 30 poker boos and will read more... I think they're great (well... some are.. lol.. I'll read any & all of them though, lol).
Saying Poker books are a useless tool would be like me commenting on whether or not art school would be good for an aspiring painter. I wouldnt' have a f'n clue.. I'm not a painter.