The option market is either a casino or a cash register.
You get to choose.
Logically, of course, most folks would choose the cash register. But, most folks don’t act logically. They act emotionally.
And the excitement of the casino is too hard to resist.
That’s why most folks lose money trading options.
There’s nothing wrong with gambling for entertainment purposes… and with small amounts of money. As an investment or trading strategy, though, gambling will lead to disaster.
But, if you must do so, then please allow me to offer some advice as to the most efficient and effective way to gamble…
The Odds of Winning
Decide how much money you’re willing to lose, and get comfortable with that thought – because you most assuredly will lose.
Take the entire amount to the casino’s roulette wheel and place it all on either black or red for one bet. The roulette table has 18 black numbers, 18 red numbers, and two green numbers.
So, the odds of winning on a black or red bet on any one spin of the wheel is 47.3%.
If you lose the bet, then you’ve lost the entire amount you were willing to put at risk. So now, instead of spending the rest of your time in the casino, you can go about leading a more productive and useful existence.
If you win the bet, then pick up the chips and walk away. You’ve made 100% – which is an excellent return. And now you can leave the casino and go about leading a more productive and useful existence.
If you stay in the casino after winning that first spin of the wheel, then you will inevitably lose everything – because the odds are against you.
The longer you play, the more likely you are to lose money.
The same is true when gambling with options.
Most option traders bet too much on low-odds trades. That’s the same as gambling. The longer you trade the more likely you are to lose money – because the odds are against you.
If you want to do that then here’s what you should do on the first trading day of the year. Decide how much money you’re willing to risk on option trading for 2024. Then, place that entire amount on one option trade.
If it doesn’t work, then you’ve lost what you were willing to lose. And now you can spend the rest of the year being more productive and useful.
On the other hand, if your trade does pay off then you should take your winnings and walk away. You’ve earned an entire year’s worth of returns on one trade. Go do something else. We’ll see you back in the action on the first trading day of 2025.
Free Trading Resources
Have you checked out Jeff’s free trading resources on his website? It contains a selection of special reports, training videos, and a full trading glossary to help kickstart your trading career – at zero cost to you. Just click here to check it out.
Don’t Stay in the Casino
If you stay in the “casino”… you’ll give back all of your winnings and eventually lose everything else – because the odds are against you.
The longer you play, the more likely you are to lose money.
However… if you want to get serious about trading options, if you want to use the limited-risk and increased-leverage features of options to significantly increase your trading returns, then STOP GAMBLING.
Instead, find a strategy that puts the odds of winning on your side.
In other words, find a way to be the casino – not the gambler. Find a way to turn the casino into a cash register.
In my next essay, I’ll share one such strategy with you.
Best regards and good trading,
Jeff Clark