Just had a trader reach out to me, saying he's in a drawdown and frustrated that he's gone 1/9 and wants to know if he should change anything.
Here are the numbers and what I told him....
1) First of all, I asked him if he truly believes trading is nothing more than a breakeven (BE) game?
Because at the end of the day, trading is roughly a BE game.
As long as you manage risk and never move your SL or TP, or close the trade early, you'll be a breakeven trader.
2) The guy averages 3:1 reward:risk.
While that may feel frustrating, going 1/9. It's actually completely normal when targeting larger reward-to-risk trades.
Think of it like watching a roulette wheel land on black 5 times in a row. Is that unusual?
Not at all. It's a normal part of probability.
The problem is that most traders, just like gamblers, become emotionally attached to recent results.
If they've been betting on red, they start believing the game is somehow rigged against them.
Then, over the next 55 spins, the wheel might land on red 30 times and on black 25 times, bringing everything back in line with the expected probabilities.
The same thing happens in trading.
Relax.
Drawdowns are part of the game. What's important is that you don't rage-quit, start increasing risk, or abandon your system. That's exactly what 90% of traders and gamblers do.
You have an edge. That's what matters.
See comments for part2...