Interesting take on poker pros

[CraigJ]

First let me say I beleive there is a lot of skill in poker. But there is also a lot of luck too. And trust me I know that in the long run skill will win.

Okay quick statistics lesson. In most processes, random variation conforms to a probability distribution know as the normal distribution, which is the most commonly observed probability distribution. It is also known as a bell curve or Guassian distribution. The empirical rule is a handy quick estimate given the mean and standard deviation of a data set that follows the normal distribution. The empircal rule states that for a normal data set 99.7% of all data will fall within 3 standard deviations of the mean.

Okay it doesn't matter if you understood a word of that or not. But apply it to the "luck" in holdem poker. What it says is most people over the course of their life are going to experience close to the same amount of luck when it comes to winning and losing. But there are a few who are going to be more unlucky (more bad beats) than normal and a few who are going to be more lucky (more suck outs) than normal.

Take Phil Ivy, he has the poker skills but I also bet you he falls outside the 99.7% on the lucky side. And I bet most of your best poker pros do as well.

So what I am saying is your best poker players not only have the skill but also have more than their fair share of luck.