Small and steady
wins the account
A consistent $250 day compounds. A $2,000 day followed by an $1,800 giveback does not. Twenty days of small green with no blown caps is proof of a skill. One big day is proof of nothing.
From zero to steak
- 1Understand
Why markets exist
Who trades, why there is always someone on the other side, and where your profit actually comes from.
Gate › Explain hedgers vs speculators in one sentence.
- 2Understand
Learn the contract
MNQ and NQ specs. Ticks, points, dollars — and the one formula you will use on every trade.
Gate › Price any stop in dollars in your head.
- 3Set up
Tools and account
A charting platform, a futures broker or prop evaluation, a simulator and an economic calendar.
Gate › Place and cancel a bracket order in sim.
- 4Set up
Write the plan
Max size, per-trade loss, daily loss, trading window and the one setup you will trade. On paper, signed.
Gate › Plan written before the first sim trade.
- 5Practice
One setup only
Learn the 3-bar reversal on the 1-minute chart. Log every one you see, traded or not.
Gate › 50 logged examples with screenshots.
- 6Practice
Sim for 20 days
Trade the plan in the simulator: real hours, real rules, real stops. Grade execution, not P&L.
Gate › 20 sessions with zero rule breaks.
- 7Hamburger
Live with 1 MNQ
Real money, smallest size. Take 1R and get out. A day closed green is a win.
Gate › 20 live days, positive expectancy, no blown day cap.
- 8Steak
Scale up slowly
2–3 MNQ, then 5 MNQ, then NQ. Size goes up one rung at a time and comes down after any rule break.
Gate › Each rung earns the next. No skipping.
The hamburger math
One formula prices every trade you'll ever take. Memorize it before you touch a chart. Use it backwards to size: contracts = dollar risk you allow ÷ (stop in points × $ per point). If the answer is less than 1, the trade is too big for your plan. Skip it.
Size it at 2 MNQ with a 20-point stop.
One rung at a time
Each rung has its own loss caps. Any rule break sends you down a rung for the next session. 10 MNQ = 1 NQ — same price, same chart, same setups. Only the dollars change.
The 5 MNQ rung uses the numbers from the MNQ Daily Trade Plan. The 1 and 3 MNQ caps are suggested starting points that keep a single bad day small.
A trading day, start to finish
- 7:45–8:25Prep
Mark levels, check the economic calendar, write the thesis, run the checklist.
- 8:30–8:35The open
Let the first few minutes settle. No chasing the first candle.
- 8:35–9:30Prime window
Best setups of the day. Most sessions should finish here.
- 10:30–1:00Midday chop
Default is no trading. Lunch hour fakes out new traders.
- 2:45Cutoff
No new entries. 3:00 pm hard flat. No positions overnight.
- 3:00–3:30Review
Scorecard and review. Log rule breaks. Pick one fix for tomorrow.
Eastern time is one hour later (the 8:30 CT open is 9:30 ET). No entries 3 minutes before or after CPI, PCE, jobs, FOMC or scheduled Fed remarks.
Hamburger rules
- 1One MNQ contract until you have 20 live days of following the plan, win or lose.
- 2The stop goes in with the entry, every time. No mental stops.
- 3Never widen a stop. Never add to a losing position.
- 4Take 1R and get out. Letting winners run comes later.
- 5Two losers in a row: stand up and walk away for 15 minutes.
- 6Three losers or one daily loss cap hit: done for the day. No “one more”.
- 7After a big win, keep the same size tomorrow.
- 8Log every trade by rule followed, not by profit. Judge every 20.
The mindset shift
Earn the hamburger.
Every day.
Seats are limited so every trader gets real coaching. Tell us where you are today and we'll be in touch.