Desi joins me to tell the story behind a Tesla options position he says was up roughly $750,000 after the election—and the years of trading that came before it.
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We talk about starting with penny stocks, trading around a full-time job, and the $30,000 SPY put trade that helped him build his capital during COVID. He also explains why he now prefers futures for everyday scalping while keeping options for individual stocks with a clear catalyst.
Then we get into position sizing, managing 0DTE risk, choosing contracts, and knowing when bigger size starts affecting your decisions. Desi also shares why trading his own money hasn’t automatically translated into passing prop firm evaluations.
We finish with selling options for premium, covered calls, building a long-term portfolio, and how he creates the supply and demand levels behind his daily watchlist.
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01:18 Meet Desi: How He Started Trading04:27 Trading Around a Full-Time Job05:49 The $30K SPY Put Trade During COVID09:40 The Tesla Options Position That Reached a $750K Gain13:20 Family, Business & Learning to Work Hard14:53 Pursuing Trading When Friends Didn’t Believe in It17:04 Why He Started With Options20:21 When He Chooses Options vs. Futures24:35 Managing Options Risk & “Sizing for Zero”26:37 Using Delta & Price Levels to Estimate Risk28:47 Choosing Contracts for Scalping31:01 Prop Trading vs. Trading Your Own Capital33:47 Why Desi Has Struggled With Prop Evaluations35:42 Scaling Position Size With Performance39:06 Finding Your Limit With Bigger Positions40:54 What New Options Traders Should Focus On43:01 Selling Premium: Capital Requirements & Risk45:21 Building a Portfolio & Selling Covered Calls49:51 Levels: Watchlists, Preparation & Chart Analysis53:10 Learning to Mark Your Own Levels55:15 Gamma, GEX & Different Ways to Read the Market57:08 Why Your Execution Still Matters Most58:36 Trading Events, Community & Closing Thoughts