Opening Remarks

The allure of a massive “100-point” win is a powerful motivator in the trading world. Yet, the path to such a victory is rarely a straight line. This became vividly clear listening to the live commentary of Micros Trader who, just one day prior, was admittedly frustrated, having repeatedly missed his desired entries.

“The turnaround trade did not happen yesterday no matter how hard I tried,” he reflected. “Maybe it’s today.”

His eventual success wasn’t the result of a sudden stroke of genius or a perfect market prediction. It was a testament to resilience and an unwavering commitment to a pre-defined process. The most valuable lessons from his 100-point win are found not in the entry signal, but in the simple, counter-intuitive rules he followed to manage his psychology and the trade itself.

This article breaks down the five rules that transformed the previous day’s frustration into a masterclass in execution.

1. Secure Your Profit, Then Let a “Lottery Ticket” Ride

Micros Trader’s core trade management strategy is built on a simple premise: pay yourself first. Using multiple contracts, the immediate goal is to “peel off a 10″—taking a quick, 10-point profit on the initial portion of the position. This locks in an immediate win and provides a crucial psychological and financial cushion.

This approach is psychologically brilliant. By locking in a gain, it ensures the trader is “green on the day,” instantly removing the fear that a winning trade might reverse into a loser. The remaining contract—the “runner”—is reframed entirely. Its stop can be moved to a “minus position,” meaning the overall trade remains profitable even if the runner is stopped out for a small loss. The runner is transformed from a source of anxiety into a “lottery ticket”—a risk-free opportunity for a massive payout.

“If you took something off at 10 points, you can now have your runner in a negative position. You’re still green on the day and you gave yourself a lottery ticket.”

2. The Hardest Part Is Doing Nothing

Once a trade is profitable and the runner is in play, the greatest challenge is simply leaving it alone. The impulse to constantly manage—to tinker with stops or grab profits at the first sign of a pullback—is immense. Micros Trader’s commentary reveals that the key to capturing a truly significant move is to resist this impulse and trust the plan.

In a later reflection while editing his notes from the session, he offered the ultimate expression of this hands-off philosophy:

“All you do is hold, hold, hold. There’s nothing else to do. I even encourage you to close down your DOM and leave the house. Let price do what they are going to do. You don’t need to be in here messing with your stop. All you need to do is stay out of the way.”

3. Sometimes, the Smartest Move Is to Erase Your Chart

In a moment of powerful advice, Micros Trader recommends removing technical lines from the chart during a strong short-covering rally. This isn’t just a technical tip—it’s a sophisticated psychological defense rooted in personal experience. The prior day, he had been frustrated from “missing the shorts,” which created a strong recency bias. That bias could trigger him to look for shorts again, even when the momentum had clearly flipped.

By erasing pre-drawn resistance levels, he actively removed the visual cues that could trigger counter-trend trades. It’s a conscious act of discipline to prevent action bias—the tendency to act rather than do nothing—and avoid the temptation to take a counter-trend short into strength.

“That’s one reason I recommend removing lines off your chart—because you might go, ‘Oh I got a SO level right here with triple quadruple confluence and I’m going to take a short.’ I wouldn’t. Don’t counter short covering.”

4. Know When to “Bask in the Glory”

Profit-taking isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule; it must be adapted to a trader’s experience level and psychological needs. Faced with a 50-point gain, Micros Trader offers nuanced advice: for the veteran, the right move may be to stay in the trade. For someone experiencing their first major win, the advice is clear—take the full profit and bask in the accomplishment.

This distinction highlights a vital psychological principle. For a newer trader, booking a large, tangible win helps reinforce belief in the process. It provides positive reinforcement, builds confidence, and helps eliminate imposter syndrome. That emotional win can often be more important than squeezing out every last tick.

“A person that’s just having their first 50-pointer right there—I would take it. What an accomplishment, you know? Be done and walk. Bask in the glory. But if you’ve done that before, stay. Stay long here.”

5. The Unbreakable Rule: Never Let a Good Day Go Bad

Beneath all these tactics is one non-negotiable rule. This wasn’t conceived in the heat of the moment, but was clearly defined in his pre-market “battle plan.” The rule was simple and powerful: never allow a winning trade to become a loser.

This pre-planned directive is the foundation of capital preservation. The “lottery ticket” approach directly supports this rule, as the peeled profit buffers against downside. Once the first scale-out is locked in, the rest of the trade can only enhance the day, not ruin it. It’s not just a rule—it’s a long-term survival tactic.

“All we can do is trade setup to setup, never allowing a winning trade to become a loser, never making things worse—and hold a runner just in case. Basics.”

Sunday/Monday Battle Plan

1. Will be published Sunday Afternoon! Stay tuned!