That is one more evidence of the idea that consistency matters more than the amount of profits. It is no doubt that it is extremely hard to earn a million in a year, but perhaps, the guy took so many risks that sooner or later the bankrupcy would inevitably happen. I think that it is better to earn $10000 a year consistently rather than earn a million and go broke. There are such people in every sphere of life but the people from finance become the most popular because whis sphere always gets a lot of hype. Anyway, he can come back to the market and remember his past mistakes which led him o the current state of affairs. Nothing is lost until his heart beats.
To be back from such life style & status, ain't easy alone. Then there's ego and rooted habbits. My guess , if, he's back, then luring in new clients, just to blow out again. Or maybe his strategy was all fine, yet, he took a true bet & simply run short on luck. Who knows tho.
I agree with a lot of your points here, and the following reply by @Nobert. Most of the time you can put people who say they are traders in the gambler category. In my view, the difference is well defined, and if you look at it from the gambler's point of view, it becomes more apparent. You seldom run into a gambler who has lost big and has a proper bad bet to suffer from it psychologically over a long period. Of course at that point at that table when that specific evening happens... but the day after they are back at the table . However, the disconnect for the "gambler traders" is that they never see themselves as a gambler and psychologically suffer hugely when the inevitable happens to them as a result of their gambling activity.