John, reconsider your experience with your pocket aces being recalled, and all the other "named players" you encountered with all their bad beat stories and possibly you might be able to answer your own question asking if the winner was extremely good, extremely lucky, or both.

After just watching the second "heads up tournament" on TV, with last years winner not getting past the first round this years, and considering all the participants with approximately equal skills might also help you decide between luck and skill.

Look at many of the weekly televised tournaments and one will see many people (mostly youngsters--compared to us at least,) with very little experience at the final table and even winning over the top "professionals." Every winner has to overcome at least a few "all in coin flips" in order to come out on top. This can't be all skill.

How many times have you been 'sucked out' by a runner-runner? Does this mean that you are not as good as the person who beat you out? Or that your pocket aces played heads up against pocked kings and the third king shows up on the flop, turn or river means that you shouldn't have played your pocket aces?

I marvel at the skill of some of the top poker professionals--especially people that play like Gus Hansen. He, and others like him must possess great reading abilities because as any observer will possibly agree, he doesn't play his cards but his opponents cards. Why he even looks at his hole cards is a mystery to me, except for the fact he wants his opponents to think he just might be holding a great hand sometimes like maybe pocket fours.

I wish all of you good luck tomorrow as I believe each and ever one has an equal chance of winning and with some extra luck, could even end up in the money at Las Vegas.