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You're a poker player, too? I came to trading from a somewhat successful poker hobby online that got killed by "Black Friday" just as I had turnd the profitability corner (had a good time taking $300 to ~$6000 after playing 300k hands). Some of the psychology principles are definitely applicable to trading.
I believe many abuse the poker/trading analogy, but from a psychology standpoint they share quite a few similaritities.
The number one takeaway from poker for me is confidence in my game plan or strategy. Understand the game, play the game, build confidence, continually refine and work on fixing leaks.
(PS: Actually just returned home from losing 2 buy-ins at a local casino. Trip jacks loses to a runner-runner flush every time lol)
If I may, something has catched my eyes in one of your previous post :
My trading is discretionary, but discretion honed by years of experience in trading. I have been trading for quite a while at a loss, and lately (past year or two) my trading has seemed to even out at break-even with positive tendencies. My methodology is solid, my trading psychology is not quite there yet.
Discretionary and confidence are 2 opposite in trading especially if as you say you are only at a break-even point. Thas is maybe the reason why your trading psychology is not where you want it to be ?
R.I.P. Olivier Terrier (aka "Okina"), 1969-2016.
Please visit this thread for more information.
I see you are from Quebec, what a beautiful part of Canada. I visited Old Quebec City last summer and had an incredible time.
Can you explain some more your thoughts on discretion and confidence? I am all ears and appreciative of any thoughts or suggestions you may have @Okina.
I think that part of the reason I am failing to hold winning trades to my targets is the confidence issue.
For the small story I’m from Paris but now I live in Montreal.
Discretionary trading is a word that most people use in the following sense: I do not have a very very clear system so I will rely on my feeling to take a trade.
If you rely on your feeling to take a trade 2 things will happen: you will fell like genius when it works or like a shit when it fails. Your mood will always be up and down (as your wallet). At the end you will leave this game emotionally exhausted and sometime financially exhausted as well.
My suggestion is: translate all your decisions in very clear language (like a programming language). Example if A happens I do B. At least you need 5 rules long entry, long exit, short entry, short exit and a money management one. If you are not able to translate the way you trade in 5 simple explicit and inflexible rules it means that you are relying on your feelings to trade and bad things will happens. With rules markets will test them of course but they will not test you (I use to think the following: it is my rules but they are not me and if they are not good enough nothing prevent me from designing new ones). You have to protect yourself from that kind of personal test if you want to survive both emotionally and economically.
(PS I’ve been a Pro for 10 years and trading is a very special kind of job, in a regular job if you’re not doing good the worst think that could happens is that you will be fire (and in most cases you won’t be fire but you won’t have any promotions). But in trading not only you are going to be fire but you will pay for that and on the top of that people will think that you are an idiot.)
Read or read again Market Wizards you may find interesting points of view.
R.I.P. Olivier Terrier (aka "Okina"), 1969-2016.
Please visit this thread for more information.