As much as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic will forestall sinking. You can either argue or learn. You more seem interested in debating and arguing, rather than learning. You walk into a casino with $100 and plan to make 10% monthly. You can arrange your bets all you want. You can have an edge. But sooner or later, the casino (market) still makes a lot of money off of clever gamblers (traders).
1. You might want to acquaint yourself with the Socratic method. I am an engineer and a teacher and I use questions to stimulate dialog to help discover truth. I do not apologize if this makes some uncomfortable. Learning and truth are more important. 2. There are few bets available in a casino that have a positive expectation, except for Blackjack. That's why system players are banned. They are banned because even with a small edge, lots of money is made. 3. You might want to acquaint yourself with Thorp, one of the first to write a book about winning at Blackjack and the practical application of the Gambler's Ruin Theorem. With a little research you will find that he has been very successful in the market using his mathematical skills. 4. If practice does not mimic the science, I'm more likely to suspect that the practice was imperfect than the science being faulty.
the majority of the people who voted believe 10% a month is a realistic return... I'm dumbfounded by that.
Judging by the poll results, two thirds are clueless, and one third have some idea just how tough this is. Sounds about right.