> Ungar destroyed anyone who challenged him in a gin match, including a professional widely regarded as the best gin player of Ungar's generation, Harry "Yonkie" Stein. Ungar beat Stein 86 games to none in a high-stakes game of Hollywood Gin, after which Stein dropped out of sight in gin circles and eventually stopped playing professionally.[0]

86 wins in a row against one of the best opponents at the time has to indicate that skill can overcome much of the luck involved.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stu_Ungar