Don't! The stock market is not a game; you don't "play" it. If you treat investing as a game, you will end up as a statistic. Rather, you should develop an investing PLAN around a set of financial GOALS. What you are trying to accomplish, the time you have to accomplish it, the amount you can save and already have saved, and the amount of risk you are willing or NOT willing to take, all combine together to produce a set of guidelines that will direct the type of investments you make. Your goals should direct your investments, not the other way around.
Well said.