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In this interview, host Riz sits down in Manchester with trader “Marshy” (aka Marty), a 25-year-old who caught the 2020 crypto wave, got humbled in 2021, and then pivoted into FX with a data-driven approach. You’ll hear how meetups, mentorships, and the Phantom Trading FX community shaped his path, why networking matters in a lonely craft, and how shifting from retail patterns to story-driven price action changed his results.
Read on to learn Marshy’s actual strategy building blocks: strict risk management (think hard stops and asymmetric R multiples), forward- and back-testing habits, journaling and metrics that keep him honest, and the mindset shifts that turned “more trades” into “better trades.” We’ll unpack his transition from crypto to FX, how he uses tools like replay/backtest platforms and spreadsheets to validate an edge, and why passion for the skill—not just the payout—creates longevity for traders at every level.
Marshy Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core Philosophy & Market Lens
Here’s the big idea behind how Marshy approaches the market: tell the story of price first, then trade the cleanest part of it. He looks for where liquidity sits, how structure shifts, and whether a session offers a genuine asymmetric shot. The goal isn’t constant action—it’s consistent execution on a few repeatable A+ conditions.
- Define the overall bias by reading recent swing structure (HH/HL for bullish, LH/LL for bearish); stand aside if the structure is messy or overlapping.
- Map liquidity: mark obvious equal highs/lows, prior day high/low, session open, and recent sweep points as magnets or trap zones.
- Only trade during your proven session window (e.g., London or New York first 2–3 hours) and skip if the first hour is choppy or news-driven whipsaw.
- Require at least two confluences before risk is deployed (e.g., structure break + liquidity sweep, or premium/discount + session timing).
Risk First, Always
Marshy’s edge survives because his downside is capped before he chases the upside. He sizes small, keeps stops where the idea is objectively wrong, and respects daily/weekly risk limits to stay in the game when conditions aren’t ideal.
- Risk 0.25%–0.5% per trade until a month is net green; then consider 0.75% max on A+ setups.
- Daily stop: 1.5% max. Weekly stop: 3% max. Hit it—you’re done for that period.
- Place stops beyond the invalidation swing (not “just under/over” entry); if invalidation is too wide, skip the trade.
- Partial at +1R (take 25–50%) and move stop to breakeven only after a structure shift in your favor to avoid death by spread/noise.
A+ Setup Criteria (What He Actually Takes)
This is the filter that turns watchlists into one or two real shots. Marshy wants a fresh shift in control, a sweep, and an efficient pullback into value. If that combo isn’t there, he doesn’t force it.
- Look for a liquidity sweep against the higher-timeframe bias (e.g., sweep of prior high in a downtrend), then a decisive structure break back with the trend.
- Enter on the first fair pullback into value (discount for longs, premium for shorts) near a clearly defined zone, not mid-move.
- Require session timing alignment: London continuation or New York reversal/continuation only—avoid late entries after the main move.
- Minimum target = next clean liquidity pool; minimum trade expectation = 1.5R; skip if the path to 1.5R is cluttered.
Entries & Exits (Execution Mechanics)
Entries are mechanical, so emotions don’t drive the bus. Marshy uses a tight trigger, respects the invalidation, and manages winners with pre-planned scale-outs rather than “feel.”
- Use limit entries only at predefined levels; avoid market entries unless a fast break-retest appears during your session window.
- Confirmation: require a micro shift (e.g., LTF BOS or rejection wick) at your level within three candles—if not, cancel the order.
- First take-profit at the nearest obvious liquidity (session high/low, equal highs/lows); trail after TP1 using swing structure, not fixed pips.
- If price closes beyond your level without a fill, don’t chase; wait for the next setup or call it a no-trade.
The Playbook Pairs & Sessions
He doesn’t try to trade everything. Fewer markets, deeper familiarity, tighter execution. Session rhythm matters more than “signals.”
- Focus pairs with reliable session volatility and spreads (e.g., GU, EU, AU for London/NY rhythms).
- Trade only when the ATR and recent dispersion show room for 1.5R without needing heroic precision.
- Pre-session checklist: mark PDH/PDL, session open, Asian range, and scheduled news; build one long and one short scenario before the bell.
- If the first hour prints indecision or overlapping candles around midrange, skip the session.
News & Narrative Filter
Marshy treats news as a volatility gate, not a crystal ball. The point is to avoid low-quality randomness and align with the post-news impulse when it’s clean.
- No new positions within 10 minutes before tier-1 releases (CPI, NFP, rate decisions) on affected currencies; wait for a 15-minute close after.
- If a news candle sweeps liquidity and closes back inside the structure, plan a continuation trade with the higher-timeframe bias only.
- In the 30–60 minutes following data, trade only if the spread/volatility normalizes to your playbook averages.
Journaling, Metrics & Improvement Loop
His progress comes from proof, not vibes. Every trade is tagged, graded, and studied so he can dial up what works and delete what doesn’t.
- Log every trade with: setup tag, session, RR planned vs. realized, MAE/MFE, and a one-line “why this was A/B/C quality.”
- Weekly review: export tags to see win-rate and expectancy by setup and session; cut any tag that underperforms for four consecutive weeks.
- Screenshot before/after with the plan marked; if the plan wasn’t followed, count it as a process loss even if green.
- Backtest the same rules you trade live—no curve-fitting, extra filters that don’t exist in your execution plan.
Scaling & Funded Accounts (If You Choose That Route)
When conditions are consistent and the log is green, scaling is about preserving behavior under bigger numbers. The process stays the same; only the nominal size changes.
- Keep the same per-trade risk % when moving to larger capital; don’t “earn the right” to gamble—earn the right to be consistent.
- Respect prop firm drawdown rules by halving risk after two consecutive losses; restore only after two winners or a net +2R day.
- Withdraw periodically (e.g., monthly) to make gains tangible and reset psychology; avoid compounding into a ceiling breach.
- During evaluations, trade only A+ tags from your stats—no experimentation until you’re past the target and within rules.
Daily Routine & Mindset That Holds It Together
The routine protects execution when markets are noisy. Marshy treats trading like a craft: prep, perform, review, and then stop.
- 60-minute pre-market: mark levels, write the long/short plan, and set alerts; close all non-trading apps during the session.
- Two strikes rule: two plan violations in a day end the session, green or red.
- Post-market: annotate charts, update tags, and write one improvement for tomorrow; then disconnect—no revenge scroll through more pairs.
- Monthly: re-read your rules and remove one low-value step to keep the system lean.
Size Risk First: Fixed R, Hard Stops, Daily Loss Caps
Marty—known as “Marshy” on the mic—builds the trade from the stop outward. He decides risk in R before anything else, places the stop where the idea is objectively wrong, and only sizes the position after that math is locked. If the invalidation is too wide for his max risk, he passes without second-guessing.
Every day starts with a hard loss cap and ends the moment it’s hit, no exceptions. Marty takes partials at predefined levels and only moves to breakeven after price structure flips in his favor, not just because the trade is green for a moment. His focus is on protecting the next hundred trades, so he’d rather miss a winner than bleed from avoidable noise.
Trade Volatility, Not Hope: Allocate When Range Supports 1.5R+
Marty—aka “Marshy”—bases position size on what the market is actually paying, not what he wishes it would pay. He checks the recent session range and ATR to confirm there’s room to harvest at least 1.5R without heroic timing. If the morning prints overlapping candles or micro ranges, he cuts size or stands down entirely. The goal is simple: only swing when volatility can realistically carry the trade to targets.
When range expands and structure is clean, Marty allows normal risk; when range compresses, he dials risk down to protect expectancy. He won’t upgrade a mediocre setup just because the price moved a few ticks—volatility conditions must match the playbook. If spreads or slippage spike around news, he treats that as negative volatility and skips. In short, Marty trades the tape’s energy, not his optimism.
Diversify Smartly: Underlying, Strategy, and Holding Duration Work Together
Marty—“Marshy” on the show—spreads risk across a few liquid FX pairs rather than forcing every idea into GBPUSD. He balances directional continuation plays with mean-reversion fades around clear liquidity to avoid a single-style cold streak wiping the week. He also staggers holding duration—some trades are intraday pops to first liquidity, others are partial runners into the next session—so P&L isn’t hostage to one tempo.
When conditions tighten, Marty trims the number of active themes instead of adding more size to a stale one. He pairs correlated bets carefully (e.g., GU and EU) and won’t double-count exposure just because entries look different. If two setups are essentially the same macro impulse, he treats them as one risk unit, scales the combined size accordingly, and lets the higher-quality trigger lead.
Mechanics Over Predictions: Session Rules, Liquidity Maps, Clean Triggers
Marty—“Marshy” in the interview—doesn’t try to predict the day; he runs the day’s playbook. He starts by marking prior day high/low, session open, and any equal highs/lows to frame where stops and liquidity likely sit. Then he sets an A or B scenario for London and New York and sticks to it, ignoring off-script noise.
His trigger is mechanical: wait for a sweep, confirm a structure break, and execute the first clean pullback into value. If that sequence doesn’t print within his session window, Marty doesn’t force it—no trigger, no trade. Management is equally rule-bound: scale at first pool, trail behind structure, and never widen stops. The result is simple—process drives entries and exits, not opinions.
Define Risk, Let Winners Run: Scale Out, Trail Structure, Stop Early
Marty—“Marshy” on the podcast—locks the downside first and refuses to negotiate with a losing trade. He scales out into objective liquidity pools, banking partials to de-risk while keeping the door open for a runner. Once TP1 is hit, he trails behind swing structure, not fixed pips, so the market—not his nerves—decides whether the winner keeps working.
If momentum stalls or prints a clean opposite structure shift, Marty exits without sentiment and moves on. He never widens a stop, never averages down, and never gives back a green day trying to squeeze an extra tick. The mindset is simple: define risk with precision, pay yourself as price proves you right, and let the tape carry what’s left.
In the end, Marty—“Marshy” on the mic—proves that edge is mostly process, not prophecy. He builds every decision around defined risk, trades only when volatility can realistically carry 1.5R+, and keeps his exposure diversified by pair, setup style, and holding duration so no single theme can torpedo a week. Sessions are his metronome: mark PDH/PDL, map liquidity, wait for the sweep-and-shift, and take the first clean pullback into value. If those mechanics don’t line up, he does nothing—and protecting the next hundred trades beats forcing this one.
His management is just as uncompromising: hard stops where the idea is wrong, partials into objective pools, and a structure-based trail that lets the runner work without emotion. News is a volatility filter, not a prediction engine; he stands aside into tier-1 releases and only engages once spreads normalize and the narrative prints on the chart. The quiet engine behind it all is journaling—tags, MAE/MFE, expectancy by setup—so he can cut what underperforms and scale what consistently pays. Put simply, Marty’s playbook is a blueprint for durable trading: risk first, rules before opinions, and relentless review to keep the edge sharp.
