Gambling.

I haven't been paying attention or learning anything about stocks for the last couple of days or weeks maybe. I really like to think that there's some type of format to trading stocks, but it seems more subjective than anything.

So it kind of stressed me out and I started learning to play poker. Which is really fun.

I've been told on many occasions that stocks are like gambling and I should stay away. What's so wrong with poker/gambling? It's something profitable so as long as your skilled. If you fold on time you're cutting your losses.

Which is more profitable? From a non-subjective point?
I feel like stocks should be easier to be accurate on because you have access to so much information.

Also.. I don't know what to learn anymore.
Technical indicators? = Garbage because some big firm already researched it.
Fundamentals? = Buy on the rumor, sell on the news. I'm not friends with any insiders unfortunately.

I've taken all this advice and now I'm stumbling through the objections. I don't know how to try and predict a stock anymore.

Exactly.....you managed to learn something that a lot of others may or may not ever get. One thing you left out....strategy.

That makes a lot of sense but again it's subjective. It's great advice but it doesn't go into specifics.
How do you form a strategy to begin with? How do you say XYZ company will go up because of X "mechanical" facts.
I can stick to rules, but how do you make those rules to begin with?
And then once you do how do you manage risk? How do you say I XYZ company is at $5 dollars, I because backed by "facts of" assume XYZ will climb to $10.

If wrong I will cut my losses at 5:1. So if company XYZ hits $4 dollars I will sell.

But how do you form a strategy that is non subjective and mechanical like these guys say? I assume it would be to guide away from fundamental analysis such as news etc because that's subjective.