Roofus' method

Roofus, let me know if this is too invasive, but by all accounts you're a successful trader yet you claim that its more akin to gambling.

If this is the case, by what process do you select stocks that are likely to go up? Or is it simply a discretionary/gut system?

doc- I consider myself successful, Im retired at 29 afterall. The reason I think that trading is akin to gambling is because it(trading) falls into/under the definitin of what is a gamble, which is basically to stake or risk money in the hope of receiving more money.Skill,research,talent,computer programs,books etc. dont change this "catergory". If they do, that would mean that once someone decides to have a bet on a horse, and reads a form guide, and places a bet via their computer through a phone tab account, that they are no longer gambling. What about the bloke that backs the very same horse but without this extra "help". It would have to stand to reason that he is gambling. doesnt make sense..both are essentially staking money in the hope of receiving more money..
Anyone with a different view, or am I on another planet.

see here:
http://www.reefcap.com/ubb/Forum61/HTML/000010.html

How do I pick winners at the races, again a few "rules", specific field sizes, where they ran in their last start, eg 5th, 1st, last etc, weight, distance, jockey, win strike rate, trainer,beaten margin last start, resuming, barrier, number of runs since resuming etc..Just like obtaining the best share price, you must be at the track to gain the advantage of price fluctuations.And yes, you need to "look" at the horse in the yard.

as Ive just sent this to a enquiring client,open vs close, close vs open, moving averages, trends, volume, 52 week highs, P/E, $oil, $base metals etc,new high, new high over x periods, new low, new low over x periods, etc.

PS, yesterdays tips were as follows
Kembla Race 7 no 11 Permissive, into Sandown race 8, no 3 Scarlet Scene, into ****nasl to beat Bayern Munich in the champions league soccer.
The results were as follows.
Permissve !st $2.90
Scarlet Scene 2nd (beaten a head)
****nal win 1-0
I liked the half full double on ****nal/Bayer to be Draw/****nal. That won at $4.25. But chose that not to select that and simply selected ****nal.
i chose to err on the side of caution.
Scarlet Scene was unlucky, if this had got up, the total return would have been approx. 52/1. If I had gone with the half full double, the odds would have been closer to 125/1. So for a $10 bet it would have returned $1250
This equates to a return 1250%. All for the sake of a head

sorry I left a 0 off, it should read "This equates to a return 12,500%. "