What u dont realise is that u can earn big money in poker tournaments, like over half a million just for a 10k buy-in for example. Ivey is currently in the top 10 of the final 60 at the wsop main event, and could easily receive a 1 million dollar payout or better just for a $10,000 buy-in amount. Thats a pretty damn good return, and only comes about through poker skill and yes, some luck as well. So he may not do well at cash games, which u can easily lose thousands in one hit, but he's an excellent tournament player and can sustain a living making tournament final tables. You see the difference now?