"best" players perform slightly better than "good" players
Of course, that isn't luck or some magical ability. It likely comes from more study away from the tables, more dedication to the game and probably more volume of games. Learning and study only go so far, but the best players also have experience and that means lots of losing...lots of losing...and then some winning thrown in there too
I know that the "luck element" and variance in poker is not the same as chess, but one of the most famous chess grandmasters Anatoly Karpov once commented on how to become really good at chess. He recommended what he did, "find a local chess club and lose several thousand games."
This is clearly humorous, but the learning process will inevitably carry a ton of losses before success; I'm sure poker is the same way. The very best poker players have likely played a ton more than the recreational player and likely even more volume of games than the regular grinders.
Yes, a "little" extra work such as studying can be a key difference. The ones who study poker away from the tables more are clearly more likely to succeed once they are in those games.
Good enough for me; you are a good player
Haha, yeah you are a good poker player in my book
Of course it all comes down to your comparison though; it is all relational. Humbleness or not, I am pretty sure that at a poker table with all pro players, I'm the fish...simple as that. Of course, that just means I'm not yet one of the "best players" there, but in my homegames and the smallest of stakes, then yeah I might be one of the better players too