Quote from daveyc:
just a note for why i have posted this topic.
first, thank you all for the replies. no, i am not ashamed or afraid to admit to you all here about my options trading experience and my throwing in the towel. the readers of this forum are traders so why not show the dark side for a newer trader or heck for you seasoned guys as well.
i have been trading options since 2007 and can say my only 'luck' in this business and really it was only luck was being on the right side of the trade in '08 and as i think about it now i was closing down spreads on spx just literally prior to the flash crash as riots were taking place, within an a couple of hours is not an exaggeration.
this last trade which started out as a standard ratio put spread in my pm account ended up in a loss that exceeded $12k, not the end of the world, i know, but i'm not trading with millions either.
Short backpsreads are insane. The wing (long the fly) would've saved you more than $11k of that loss. Just be prudent, sit on your hands and only trade the close.
