I don't win; I'm out the dollar.
I buy a stock for a dollar.
It goes down 50% tomorrow. Then up 25% the next day and so on it fluctuates like a train going through the mountains.
One point in time it is low and another point in time it is high. I prefer to leave the train when it is high on the mountain.
i e. Picking a stock is a gamble but unlike the lottery I get to play the same game with the same money everyday until I win or die.
Only part of it....
Buy low, sell high, use other people's money