Table of Contents
Austin Silver sits down to talk trading the way real pros actually do it—rules first, ego last. In this interview, the ASFX founder unpacks how he built a data-driven, high-win-rate approach after ditching copy-and-paste systems, why he migrated from pure FX into Bitcoin and U.S. indices, and how journaling plus mindfulness turned inconsistency into execution. If you care about durable edges, prop-firm realities, and process over hype, this convo is right up your alley.
You’ll learn Austin Silver’s core playbook: how to design a strategy you can actually follow, size risk sanely (think fractions of a percent), and thrive under prop-firm challenge pressure without blowing daily or max drawdown. We’ll break down his “do less, do it better, do it bigger” philosophy, the reporting and error checklists that keep psychology in check, and why a steady 1R mindset can beat the chase for home runs. Expect practical takeaways you can apply tomorrow—entry logic, management rules, and the routines that make consistency possible even on volatile days.
Austin Silver Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core Markets & Big Idea
Austin keeps his universe simple, so decisions stay clean. He focuses on liquid, trending instruments—mainly Bitcoin and the three major U.S. indices—and steps back from FX pairs when his tracking shows they’re dragging performance. The motto is the filter: do less, do it better, then scale it.
- Trade a tight watchlist: BTC, ES/NQ/US30; remove symbols that show net-negative recent performance in your journal.
- Each week, review your four worst trades; if one market repeats on the loser list, sideline it for the next week.
- Keep your motto visible on your desk: “Do less. Do it better. Do it bigger.” Use it to veto FOMO trades.
Set up Framework: The ASFX “A-Series” Structure
The edge is rule-driven entries that align with trend and momentum. Austin grades setups (e.g., A1/A2) and demands confluence before risk goes on. Think clean trend, momentum confirmation, and an objective checklist—no gut calls.
- Start with bias: price above/below the 8/21 EMAs → trend confirmed; only take entries in trend direction.
- Confirm momentum: RSI > 50 for longs / < 50 for shorts and no opposing divergence at entry.
- Grade it: A1 (best) requires trend + momentum + clean structure (no nearby swing obstacles); A2 accepts slightly less ideal structure—halve risk.
- No trade into high-impact news in the next 15 minutes; stand aside and reassess after the first reaction bar.
Risk Sizing That Survives Drawdown Pressure
He sizes small by default so he can let the data play out. Typical risk per trade is 0.25%–0.75%, capped at 1% in rare, top-grade scenarios—far from the daily/max drawdown limits that crush challenge accounts.
- Default risk: 0.25% per trade; 0.5% for A-grade; hard cap 1% for only the clearest A1.
- One idea = one ticket: don’t stack correlated trades that balloon account-level risk.
- Respect a personal daily loss stop (e.g., 1.5R or 1.5%—whichever comes first) well inside any firm’s limit; stop trading for the day once hit.
- Never move your stop further away; you’re buying lottery tickets when you do.
Time Windows, Targets & Management
Austin treats every trade as a data point and lets statistics—not emotion—decide where he plays bigger. Backtests showed time-of-day edges and long strings of variance, so he plans for both: precise sessions and strict 1R-first management.
- Trade your proven window (e.g., 8:00–10:00 ET) and cut the rest; if your sheet shows a 30% win rate from 6–8 and 70% from 8–10, trade the 70%.
- First target at +1R; move stop to breakeven only after structure confirms (higher low for longs / lower high for shorts).
- If the first pullback fails to make progress, exit partially and trail the remainder behind the last swing.
- No revenge entry after a stopped trade; wait for a new graded signal.
Playbook, Journaling & Error Elimination
The machine behind the strategy is documentation. Austin builds monthly folders of chart markups, pushes them into a backtesting spreadsheet, then lets the sheet tell him where to press and what to kill. Errors get names and get removed.
- Before the week: write a one-page playbook—markets, bias, A-setups you’ll allow, news you’ll avoid.
- After each session: save markups for all valid signals taken and skipped; tag with setup grade, entry time, stop/target, and outcome.
- Friday review: pull the four worst trades of the week; identify the shared mistake, then add a written rule that would have blocked it next time.
- End of month: total the sheet; keep what’s net-positive, sideline what’s negative for the next month.
Prop-Firm Reality: Pass Without “Sending It”
Pressure is part of the game, but you don’t need heroics to pass. Austin’s view: trade well under pressure, size modestly, and you’ll never flirt with daily or max drawdown—even during variance clusters.
- Assume variance: plan for streaks (e.g., eight losses) and keep risk so small you’re unfazed when they happen.
- Cap daily attempts (e.g., three graded trades max) to avoid death-by-a-thousand-cuts.
- If you hit your personal daily stop, you’re done—no “one more” trade to get back to even.
- Withdraw profits methodically; don’t scale size until two consecutive profitable months at current risk.
Mindset Mantras That Map to Actions
Mantras are only useful if they change behavior. Austin’s motto translates to concrete constraints: fewer markets, stricter grading, and bigger size only when the data proves it over months, not days.
- Do less → hard-coded watchlist and time window; no mid-day “new ideas.”
- Do it better → checklist at entry; if one box is blank, it’s an automatic pass.
- Do it bigger → increase risk only after a profitable month with <1R average drawdown and documented edge.
A One-Page Daily Routine
Consistency is built before the open. Austin’s routine revolves around a pre-market bias, a simple risk plan, and a short, repeatable post-market audit—every day, no exceptions.
- Pre-market (20 min): mark higher-timeframe trend, key levels, and news; print your session rules.
- During market: take only graded signals; journal in real time—entry, reason, stop, target.
- Post-market (15 min): save screenshots, tag errors, update P/L by R, write one improvement for tomorrow.
Size Small to Survive Drawdowns and Scale When Data Confirms
Austin Silver hammers one message: tiny risk keeps you in the game long enough for the edge to show up. Start with fractions of a percent per trade so a cold streak is an inconvenience, not an account killer. Set a hard daily loss stop and respect it—once it’s hit, you’re done for the day. Keep position size uniform at first; consistency beats tinkering every trade. Your job isn’t to be brave—it’s to be solvent.
When the numbers prove it, then and only then earn the right to scale. Track expectancy and distribution of outcomes for at least a month before nudging size up. Scale in small increments after consecutive profitable periods, not after one big winner. If variance bites and your win rate dips, drop back to base size automatically. That’s how Austin Silver stays unemotional: he lets sizing follow the data, not the mood.
Trade a Tight Watchlist; Diversify by Strategy, Duration, Not Noise
Austin Silver keeps his symbols lean because fewer markets mean sharper focus and cleaner data. A tight watchlist also forces you to learn each instrument’s rhythm instead of guessing across twenty charts. If a symbol repeatedly drags your stats, bench it for a week and let the numbers decide if it returns. That’s how you trade better, not busier.
Diversification still matters—but by playbook and time horizon, not by throwing in random tickers. Pair a primary intraday trend setup with a slower swing strategy so your equity curve isn’t tied to one condition. Stagger holding times—some trades are minutes, others are days—so variance smooths out. Austin Silver treats each strategy as a separate “business line,” allocating risk across them instead of cloning the same idea five different ways.
Let Mechanics Beat Prediction: Grade Setups, Wait for Clean Confluence
Austin Silver doesn’t try to outguess the market; he out-executes it with rules. He grades every setup before risking a dollar, and if the grade isn’t there, he passes—even after a string of losers. Confluence is mandatory: clear trend, momentum confirmation, and an unobstructed path to 1R. By forcing a checklist at entry, he keeps emotion out and repeatability in. Prediction is fun; mechanics are profitable.
When the picture isn’t clean, Austin Silver waits, because “almost” signals usually become lessons. He reduces risk on B-grade conditions and reserves full risk for A-grade alignment only. Stops are placed where the trade thesis is objectively wrong, not where it “feels” comfortable. If structure degrades after entry, he manages—not hopes—by taking partials or exiting. The result is a process that wins by consistency, not clairvoyance.
Volatility-Based Targets: Take 1R First, Trail Winners Without Emotion
Austin Silver builds his exits around volatility, so he isn’t guessing when to take profits. He defines 1R before entry and commits to banking it when price gives the first clean push, removing the emotional need to be “right big.” Locking 1R early pays for several small losses and keeps the equity curve stable. After the 1R take, he tightens risk only when structure confirms—higher low for longs or lower high for shorts—not just because P/L looks pretty. That way, the trade earns protection by improving, not by existing.
For bigger moves, Austin Silver lets volatility guide the trail using objective anchors. He’ll trail behind a swing structure or an ATR-based stop so the market, not nerves, decides when the run is over. No front-running at round numbers, no bailing because a candle “looks tired,” and no widening stops to avoid a tag. The goal is simple: extract the meat of the move while keeping the decision rules identical from trade to trade.
Process Discipline: Fixed Sessions, Hard Daily Stop, No Revenge Trades
Austin Silver treats time like a risk parameter: he trades fixed sessions and ignores the rest. A defined window keeps him aligned with his tested edge and prevents random midday impulses. He walks in with a printed plan and walks out when the clock says so—even if he feels “warmed up.” The structure removes the endless negotiating with himself that wrecks consistency.
His daily loss stop is sacred, and it lives well inside any external limits. Hit it, and the platform closes—no “one more” trade to make the day feel better. After a stop-out, Austin Silver doesn’t touch the keyboard until the next scheduled session; he journals what broke and turns it into a rule. That’s how discipline becomes a habit: time-box the work, cap the damage, and never let emotions schedule the next trade.
Austin Silver’s message lands the same way every time: stay small, stay systematic, and let the math work. He builds from tiny, repeatable risks so cold streaks don’t erase weeks of progress, and he only scales when a month or more of results proves the edge. That restraint pairs with a tight watchlist—BTC and the major U.S. indices—so he can actually learn each instrument’s rhythm and bench anything that drags performance. Less noise, more signal, better decisions.
Mechanics beat prediction in his world. Austin grades every setup, demands clean confluence, and manages exits with volatility-based rules: bank 1R, then trail behind objective structure instead of feelings. The whole thing runs on process discipline—fixed trading windows, a personal daily loss stop that’s never negotiated, and a relentless journal that turns mistakes into new rules. The outcome isn’t flashy, but it’s durable: a playbook that protects capital, compounds consistency, and permits you to grow only when your data says you’ve earned it.
