Recommended options strategies for beginners

[Overnight]

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If you not willing to put in huge amounts of time in years/decades to get to expert level, it's called a hobby. Making better than the Indexes is a full time job for most​

Rule #2: Currently, you are less than a loser. It will take you decades to cross the minimum threshold to loserhood

Henceforth, you may call me "The Black Knight"

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Dude, do not quote me, and then include other users' posts in the same context. The fuck is wrong with you, making Handle123's post seem like mine? You are just not WITH IT, man.

You are not going to last long on this forum if you quote me, and make it seem like other users' quotes are mine. I will assure that. Trust me. That I do not abide, and do not tolerate.

 

[morganpbrown]

Dude, do not quote me, and then include other users' posts in the same context. The fuck is wrong with you, making Handle123's post seem like mine? You are just not WITH IT, man.

You are not going to last long on this forum if you quote me, and make it seem like other users' quotes are mine. I will assure that. Trust me. That I do not abide, and do not tolerate.

that wasn't my intention. my bad. deleted it.

The conclusion I drew from the two other pieces of advice was that resistance IS in fact futile.

 

[LuckyMac]

Get a good handle on verticals...Flys,condors,split flys etc are different combinations of verticals..Start with verticals.

I have a slightly different view than Robert but do agree if you are a decent trader of the underlying,you should be that much better as an option trader. If you are really good directionally,you should crush it trading options..

With that said,you can do pretty well by picking your spots and putting on spreads with "edge" while being fairly inept at direction..

Agree with this, i think having an edge however small can be the key for a beginner. If you see or are taught a strategy with edge if you do it mathematically over a period of time you will be up. This can coincide with learning directional bias and longer term trading imo

 

[morganpbrown]

Agree with this, i think having an edge however small can be the key for a beginner. If you see or are taught a strategy with edge if you do it mathematically over a period of time you will be up. This can coincide with learning directional bias and longer term trading imo

I realize that a diagonal is not a vertical, strictly speaking, but with that one extra knob to turn, they sure are versatile. In your opinion, is a diagonal too much complexity for a beginner?

 

[taowave]

Depending on how you look at it,a diagonal is half vert/half calander...
Grasshopper,why do you want to make ripples when the water is clear??
Start simple

 

[morganpbrown]

Depending on how you look at it,a diagonal is half vert/half calander...
Grasshopper,why do you want to make ripples when the water is clear??
Start simple

Haha, guess I'm just motivated to lose money even faster?

 

[morganpbrown]

Depending on how you look at it,a diagonal is half vert/half calander...
Grasshopper,why do you want to make ripples when the water is clear??
Start simple

Generally speaking, is there much of a reason to trade vertical debit spreads, other than explicitly betting on an increase in IV?

 

[jamesbp]

Generally speaking, is there much of a reason to trade vertical debit spreads, other than explicitly betting on an increase in IV?

and / or increase in RV

 

[JamesSierra]

It's probably already known by all, but I would add one should have high option approval level so one can sell options as well as buy them. Some have the lowest level, can just buy options and do covered calls I think, that is so limiting.

My suggestion for beginners would be to watch for reversal in the underlying, my fav way to trade options, then if one thinks the market is headed lower, and sees it moving lower buy a put into that drop or the reverse, buy a call into a rise....once one has two or three points profit... sell a put down the chain if one is trading a down move or sell a call up the chain if one is trading an up move turning the long option position into a spread. Then one has various things one can do depending if market trends or reverses. Like if market heads higher in the put spread position, one can buy back the put they sold at a profit and just have the long put going but has now reduced their cost basis. One can even have a fixed profit (credit) in a trade like this .

Another beginning thing one could do to learn options better that's not too risky is calendar spreads or straddles. I think the key here is being right about direction as others have posted. I also try to leg in at a profit like I said above. If stock is headed down, I buy the put first, get call later down.... If stock is headed up, buy call first, after 2 or 3 points up buy the put part of straddle. Getting a few points right is very important, for me anyway, to develop a spread or straddle. Like stock is at 50 and breaking upward....I get a 50 call.....at 53 I sell the 53 call. Or I buy the 50 call, at 53 I buy the 53 put in the case of a straddle.

I think I will try a few of these strategies in my journal after I'm out of my current trade. I can only concentrate on one at a time.

 

[newwurldmn]

Generally speaking, is there much of a reason to trade vertical debit spreads, other than explicitly betting on an increase in IV?

I don’t think trading vertical spreads are good Vega trades. You will trade like $1 of gross Vega to net with 10 cents. Might as well just trade a strangle.