Indeed, the very term 'GTO' intoxicates some, infuriates others and raises plenty of questions.
More recently, thanks to online wizards like recent $111,111 High Roller for One Drop winner Doug Polk and programs like PokerSnowie, our understanding of optimal play has advanced considerably. In 2006 Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman wrote The Mathematics of Poker, a dense book that introduced readers to 'game theory optimal' play.