It's the risk / reward management that makes the difference.
That is a crutch used by people who wish to delude themselves that they are not gambling. Ask any real gambler - horses, casinos, sports, etc - the smart ones will tell you that if a 'system' doesn't work on level staking, it doesn't work. All of this attention to "money management", risk:reward numbers pulled out of the air - all of it is simply self delusion.
A professional posture will include appropriate position sizing. This means not being overleveraged. In a professional arena, such as a futures exchange, the margins are set at more sensible levels than for example spread betting companies. There are also position limits and liquidity considerations for larger players.
For an amateur, position sizing should be in place to reduce the risk of ruin. Without this, any other efforts are irrelevant as the trader will eventually blow up. However, without a robust strategy in place to take net points from the chosen markets each day, position sizing will not make a trader successful.
All of this is obvious, however the masses persist in attempts to control their gambling and limit losses. It is a crutch to avoid responsibility for haphazard, hit-or-miss trading or more accurately guesswork. Provided the gambler has rationalised affording to lose, he can continue.
The people who indulge in circular discussions with made up risk:reward numbers most likely don't understand the true probabilities of what they are trading. Without this knowledge in place, the numbers are all fantasy.
These terms are marketed to the class of wanabee "traders" - who wish to distinguish themselves from the mere gamblers. Therefore there must be mathematical systems, sophisticated financial terms, and other such props. The nature of the activity is the same - uninformed gambling - but a respectable veneer is added to attract the professional and managerial classes.
kimo'sabby makes a very good point about use of language. Consider the spread betting companies who brand themselves as "spread trading" companies. Consider the nature of the marketing.
