[Java]

JJ-
I think you've got it a bit wrong here. While there is a big element of luck, there are several reasons while these unknowns are beating the "pros".

1) Part of the reason these new guys are beating the "pros" is because the number of players was relatively small not too long ago. Some of the "pros" just lucked into the position, partially due to lack of competition.

2) The game, it's rules, strategies and probabilities are all well known. The "pros" are not the smartest people on the planet. Many smarter people picked jobs like doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher, etc. and never considered gambling professionally. Now that poker has become popular, the people who would have been the "pros" all along are just now entering the competitions.

3) A lot of these newcomers have been practicing against computers or otherwise remaining anonymous.

I'll use chess as an example:
Bobby Fischer got the US more interested in chess and more kids started playing the game then would have otherwise. This lead to more top players that without Fischer never would have touched a chess board. Now, computers allow kids to play without needing a human opponent and some of these programs can hold their own against the top players in the world.

If a player was in the top 1 percent when there were only 10,000 poker players, then we can't predict much more than he will probably be in the top 10-percent when there are 100,000 poker players. The top 1% moves from 100 players to 1000 players. That's 900 more people competing within the top 1%.