The Race.

You have JJ vs AK. You're a slight favorite, but for agruments sake we'll say it's 50-50. You raise, and AK just flat calls. The flop comes 5-3-9 rainbow (you're about 75% favorite). You bet the pot. AK calls.. TURN is a 9 (you're about an 85% favorite). You bet, AK again calls (OK so he's a donkey). The RIVER is a K. You check, he bets, you make a crying call.

Now the conventional wisdom is it's a suck out. Is this truly a suck out?

Yes, after the Turn you were a 85% favorite. But TECHNICALLY he had a 50/50 chance to HIT an A or K by the river, not just on the flop.

Luck plays a HUGE factor in poker. You have no control of how the cards come out. That's all predetermined by the shuffle. SKILL comes into play to determine how much money you'll win or lose DEPENDING on luck. The TRUE skill comes in reading and being able to get the most out of winning hands and losing the least when you're beat.

So... SKILL is not about negating the effects of LUCK over time, but using LUCK to your benefit.