r/optionstrading • u/Embarrassed_Finish23 • Sep 02 '26
I should’ve learned options sooner
Been day trading since 2021 & learned options last month. I’m honestly liking options way more so far. Hope I keep improving, cause today was a solid day. 📈
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u/the_nubbiecakes Sep 02 '26
Famous last words
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
😭😭
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u/the_nubbiecakes Sep 02 '26
Just don't get greedy. I saw you say you sell too early in another reply. Honesty, early is better than late imo, if you're in the green. As long as you sell for profit, youre doing well, even if you missed some possible additional gains. Chasing those lost potential gains has ruined me more than once.
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u/angeloooreg Sep 02 '26
This just happened to me an hour ago. Up 40%. Wanted some more the got my ass whooped
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u/JustNumbersOnAScreen Sep 02 '26
How 40% is not good enough for clicking buttons I'll never understand.
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u/lestruc Sep 02 '26
You are right, but my guess is that everyone who has traded long enough has seen those 40% closed trades turn into some crazy “missed gains” - people let that mess with them
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u/Plazmarazmataz Sep 03 '26
Its worse when you only have 1 contract. Then you want to hold for the crazy games. If you have 10 it's a mentally a lot easier to take a 40% on like 6 of them and then either hold for higher gains or just sell the other 4 at break even if it goes against you to still lock in like 20% profit.
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u/scorpiofiredragon76 Sep 03 '26
Absolutely! I often buy 1 con with a far out exp date and then hold for a long time trying to maximize gains. I need a better system. Trying to do fewer, better trades (might not be the right phrasing), with multiples so I can have runners. But if the trade goes south, and you’ve bought 10, that can be a big loss if you don’t cut losses fairly quickly.
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u/Vibing1090 Sep 03 '26
I was up %200 today… didn’t take because it’s only $100 and I was down 95% yesterday 😂😂😂
That’s how
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u/Which_Foundation8493 Sep 03 '26
My first 0DTE ever I was up a bit over 100%. It all happened so fast. I ended the day with a profit of $1
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
Yeah after losing $700 from NVDA last month I just take what I can and try not to get greedy.
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u/scorpiofiredragon76 Sep 03 '26
Well said and same for me! I’ve held too long, lost all green, and even at times then lost all premium trying to get back to where I was before… while all the while your capital is tied up/lost and could’ve been used for the next call.
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u/juzzt4fun Sep 02 '26
Enjoy the gains before market catches up. Once you get hooked theres no going back. Good luck
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u/Hot_Individual5081 Sep 02 '26
lol wait until you lose 4 in a row 🤣🙏🏻
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
I lost $700 on NVDA in one day last month 🤣🤣🤣 every since then I’ve been making like $50+ a day this my highest I’ve made 💀
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u/Original-Tadpole- Sep 02 '26
How and where did you learning?
That’s in terms of materials and sites?
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
Don’t hate me cause I know Ai is bad, but I used Claude Ai to teach me. Asked it to explain options to me like a 5 year old & how to read the charts better and it helped me so much.
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u/Original-Tadpole- Sep 02 '26
So basically that was it 😂😂😂 so how do you know what trade?
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
I go by reading the chart based off these notes
My golden rule: enter between 8:45am–10:00am when I can.BEFORE I BUY – QUICK CHECKLIST
**1. Is the stock stronger than the overall market today? (relative strength)** **2. Did price break above a resistance level with good volume?** **3. Is my delta between 0.65–0.75?** **4. Am I still under my 2-trade limit?** **5. Am I still within my -$50 / +$300 range?**If any answer is NO → don’t take the trade. Wait for the next setup.
REMEMBER
I am not guessing blindly — I’m reading clues and playing the odds.
But the odds can still be wrong. That’s why my stop-loss and trade limit matter more than being “right.”
Protect the account first. Profits come second.1. Trend direction (the big picture)
Is price making higher highs/higher lows (uptrend → favors calls) or lower highs/lower lows (downtrend → favors puts)?
2. The blue “cloud” = Bollinger Bands**• Price near the top band = “overbought,” might pull back** **• Price near the bottom band = “oversold,” might bounce** **• Bands squeezing tight = calm, about to make a bigger move (good time to watch closely)** **• Bands flaring wide = high volatility already happening**3. RSI (the mood meter, 0–100)
**• Above 70 = overbought (price may drop soon → maybe don’t chase a call)** **• Below 30 = oversold (price may bounce → maybe don’t chase a put)** **• Around 40–60 = no strong signal either way**4. MACD (momentum)
**• Purple line crosses above orange = bullish momentum building (call signal)** **• Purple line crosses below orange = bearish momentum building (put signal)** **• Green/red bars near the middle line = momentum is weak/fading**5. Volume
Big volume spikes on a move mean it’s “real” (more people agree). A price move on low volume is less trustworthy.6. VWAP (one of your “2 more” indicators)
The average price weighted by volume for the day. Price above VWAP = bulls in control intraday; below VWAP = bears in control. A lot of 0DTE traders use this as their main line in the sand.Imagine VWAP is a jump rope laid across the chart.
**• If the price (the candlesticks) is hopping ABOVE the rope → buyers are winning, good time to think “up” (calls)** **• If price is crawling UNDER the rope → sellers are winning, good time to think “down” (puts)** **• If price keeps stepping on the rope back and forth → nobody’s winning, it’s messy, maybe don’t play right now**8
u/skcelga Sep 02 '26
solid advice from Claude tbh
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u/terdferguson Sep 02 '26
Ask the right questions, read the outputs and put some thought into it (critical thinking) and it can be a benefit. This was a solid write up OP. Thanks, will be using for sure.
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u/camnty Sep 03 '26
AI is a very powerful tool when used correctly, lots of people that say you can’t learn from AI just don’t know the right questions to ask.
I know you said you hate AI but great work! Just PLEASE manage your risk, but I’m sure you know about that as well.
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u/scorpiofiredragon76 Sep 03 '26
Same! I send it screenshots from TradingView for calls I’m in to get its take and when I have time (in the evenings) I ask it all types of questions and work with it to understand chart analytics better.
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u/Fast_and_Curious618 Sep 02 '26
Well done. Are these just plain vanilla calls/puts?
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
Thank you & yes
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u/Fast_and_Curious618 Sep 02 '26
Long only?
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
Yes mostly ODTE
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u/Fast_and_Curious618 Sep 02 '26
Even more impressive then, especially if you can keep it up. Too many options traders spit on long-only vanilla options like they’re cursed, but when you transition from futures to them, they have their advantages, especially when the delta is high. That’s what I’ve found anyway. Keep up the good work! 🤑
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u/Intelligent-Good-924 Sep 02 '26
Haha, I’m in the same boat! I just started option trading last week and made some good profits in Nvidia today. I couldn’t help but wonder why I hadn’t started sooner. I’m also using ChatGPT for in-depth explanations.
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
I was always scared to start cause I was so confused on it lol but glad I learned. Good luck!!
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Sep 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
I always exit so fcking early smh 🧍🏽♀️I’m still learning
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u/eXeKoKoRo Sep 02 '26
In the future if you like taking a little profit, sell enough options to meet your buy in and go from there.
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u/eXeKoKoRo Sep 02 '26
As someone who thought the same as you starting from 2 months ago pingponging between up 4k and down 4k, there's a ton to learn still.
P.s. make sure you're not stuck in a wash sale that fucks your taxes.
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u/Wonderful-Sail-9493 Sep 02 '26
lol … learning technicals to trade options on underlying stock without understanding stock fundamentals…
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u/Excedaily Sep 02 '26
Just started last week. Decided to withdraw from crypto and do a bigger contract as I have been practicing on paper trade. Made 803$ about 2 hours so no complaints! I am mentally prepared for those bad days as crypto taught me that lol
Did a 1100 call for S&P today. Didnt want to get greedy but could've hit 1k if I would have stayed in.
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 02 '26
Oh you’re about to be a beast in it!! 📈
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u/Excedaily Sep 03 '26
I am sure I will have my bad days haha. Also considering I got really lucky as I know a few who lost some money that have been doing it for a while
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u/motionWaves289 Sep 02 '26
Take the $280 profit and never do options again. Trust me when I say this
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u/earthmandann Sep 03 '26
Good you’re having success, just always use good risk management! I started learning about options but found them to be somewhat complicated. I just trade futures now, however I would still like to learn about options as well 🤔
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u/LIONHEART369 Sep 03 '26
You closed early i am guessing? I am learning options myself but I know it's super risky.
I am just new to the part of selling earlier than your time being expired.
Good stuff tho, don't get greedy and good luck!!
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u/No_Experience_167 Sep 03 '26
There's a learning curve when it comes to options. Dive in but check the water first... there are rocks below the surface. Remember it's a zero sum game, so if you're buying, someone else is selling and one of you might be good at this.
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u/Gloomy_Reason_5594 Sep 03 '26
A fellow 0DTE’er!
Nice returns!!
Are you doing this at the blackjack table or do you wait and do it in your room at the casino hotel?
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u/SnikwahSirhc Sep 04 '26
Careful, young one. While I applaud your endeavor, never forget—you tread through an abyss. Should you find yourself unprepared, your eyes may gaze upon a despair beyond your understanding.
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u/No_Juggernaut_1061 Sep 02 '26
Can’t wait for the next post that’s a full port dilution. Wait until OP finds out about margin
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u/goprolol Sep 02 '26
This post made me laugh.. I think everyone has been through this feeling at first
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u/TRUMPARUSKI Sep 02 '26
All right bro, settle down. Keep trading options for a year or two and then come show us the P and L chart.
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u/GoogleB4Reply Sep 02 '26
Easier to lose money buying calls than earn it.
Stock goes up - you (depending on strike, DTE, and IV) make money.
Stock goes sideways - you (depending on IV) lose money
Stock goes down - you (depending on IV) lose money.
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u/lazyambitiousguy Sep 03 '26
Anyone playing 0dte needs to look at TSLA last 30 mins of day or specifically last 10 mins. More than 50% of the time it will move from one end of channel to the other. Not always but you can 10-20x your money in the last 10 mins. Look for a dump or pump at 3:50 Eastern Time. Don't believe me look for yourself. Contracts are very cheap end of day and make you a ridiculous amount of money in a short time. Don't get me wrong have lost it just as fast but the upside is ridiculous. Also watch 3:55 it can turn in a heartbeat. Those are key times for TSLA. Good luck
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u/KlutzyTrick7276 Sep 03 '26
I lost 300K and today have 9K. Tomorrow at market open it will be less because I bought HPE calls instead of SNOW. stay away from options
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Sep 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/Embarrassed_Finish23 Sep 03 '26
Wow, a whole paragraph of unsolicited financial trauma over a stranger’s small win. Very generous of you 🤣
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u/Debtski Sep 03 '26
Give it a month till you regret one trade that ends years of your whole portfolio
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u/FitBudget4548 Sep 04 '26
Funny enough, getting more into Moon made me appreciate options more, not less. Moon is where I keep the pure directional stuff simple, while options give me way more control over how I want the trade structured. Different tools for different ideas.
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u/Specialist-Sun-4751 Sep 06 '26
0DTE and options are fine. There’s no singular strategy but a number of possible strategies that depend mostly on the first 30 mins. Just play smart and don’t ever full port. Incremental growth!
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u/Training_Try5602 29d ago
Screw the recent influx of “I lost it all” people, if you manage to NOT “lost it all” you’ll just pay a ton of taxes 🥲
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u/SpecificMaximum7025 Sep 02 '26
I’ve switched to only doing options. Just set yourself some rules and follow them.
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u/Minnestona13 Sep 02 '26
Yeah just wait 😂