Simple Trading Tip with a Potential Big Payoff

New traders need all the help they can get. The tip I am about to offer is simple, cheap and in my opinion one to the keys to the possibility of having a profitable E Mini futures trading career. First, I have a quick story.


I was invited to play in a Texas Hold’em poker tournament and wanted to practice some techniques that I had studied up on. I when on line and set up a demo account at Full Tilt Poker to try it out. They have many different types or variations of Texas Hold’em but I wanted to try as many techniques as possible so I began with a speed play game. In this game, you can be in or out in seconds and over the course of an hour you could play in forty games or more. I began trying to deploy some of the rules and techniques that I had read from some online courses. I had some winning hands but ultimately, I lost track of which rules I was suppose to follow. The problem was that I was not keeping track of what worked and what didn’t. If I was dealt a certain hand and stayed in the game, what was the result?

KEY TRADER TIP: Get and maintain a trading journal

I am assuming at this point you have probably done some research, maybe even began trading e mini futures or some other market. Hopefully, you have a trading plan. As such it is critical that you document what it is that leads to your successes or failures. The more you learn about what happened, the faster you can position yourself for possible success. Make screen shots of the chart you were using, take copious notes on why you did a particular action, create a score sheet so you can keep track of everything. Keep in mind that you can begin with a demo version of most trading platforms to not only try out the platform, but your ideas as well. My firm uses Trade Center Pro which comes with a free two-week demo. Either in a demo or your live account keep good records!

Trading is kind of like cooking. You are attempting to create a great dish. In coming up with this dish, there are many ingredients and temperatures at which they are cooked. Imagine a chef assembling and trying out various concepts but never writing anything down, so when it came time to duplicate it, there is only a memory, not records.

Futures trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors