Table of Contents
This interview sits down with Andrew—the prop-firm phenom often called the “most banned” trader—to unpack how he amassed multi-million funding, real payouts, and the scars to match. Filmed on Titans of Tomorrow, Andrew walks through wallet proofs, hard lessons (like a supercar deposit gone wrong), and why clear rules and payout safety matter more than flashy discounts. He’s candid about bans, collapsing firms, and what actually keeps him consistent in the current prop landscape.
In this piece, you’ll learn Andrew’s core strategy for scaling (from stacking evaluations to stabilizing at ~2–3% monthly), how he vets firms for reliable payouts, and the mindset shifts that separate dabblers from pros. We’ll hit his take on journaling and data, why many traders really make their money from the broader ecosystem, and how to turn trading into a launchpad for businesses—or even a future fund—without burning out.
Andrew Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Core Edge & Market Selection
Here’s the big picture of how Andrew approaches the game. He keeps an edge that’s simple to execute, built around liquid sessions and repeatable behaviors. This section lays out exactly what he trades, when he’s active, and how he avoids the noise that kills consistency.
- Trade liquid majors/indices during the most active session overlap; primary windows: 8:30–11:00 ET and 14:00–16:00 ET.
- Only trade when at least two of three align: clear higher-timeframe bias (H4/D1), session momentum in that direction, and a clean intraday structure break.
- Skip the first 2 minutes after high-impact data; re-assess once the impulse stabilizes and a pullback forms.
- If spread > average by 50% or more, stand down—no fills in poor microstructure.
- Maximum two instruments “in play” per session; no chart surfing mid-setup.
Setup Criteria (Break–Pullback–Continuation)
Andrew’s bread-and-butter is a fast-to-spot continuation pattern. He looks for a decisive break that clears liquidity, then he stalks the first pullback into structure. These rules make the entry binary—either it’s there or it isn’t.
- Identify a fresh break of structure (BOS) that closes beyond the prior swing (M5/M15).
- Wait for a pullback into the origin block or last broken level; entry only with a wick rejection or an engulfing close back with trend.
- Minimum R multiple at entry ≥ 1.8R to nearest logical target; if not, pass.
- Invalidation must live beyond the pullback origin (not the swing extreme) to keep stops tight and logical.
- No third attempts: if the first two signals fail, that idea is done for the day.
Risk & Trade Management
Andrew survives by sizing small, cutting fast, and letting math do the lifting. These bullets give you the exact guardrails—how much to risk, when to move to breakeven, and when to get out without hesitation.
- Risk per trade: 0.25R–0.50R (cap 0.75R only during A+ conditions).
- Daily loss cap: 1.5R; hit it and shut it down—no screens, no exceptions.
- Move stop to breakeven only after price closes beyond TP1 or shows a second impulse leg; never on a single tick in profit.
- If momentum dies (3 consecutive inside candles against your bias on entry timeframe), scratch at −0.2R to −0.3R.
- Hard stop always in the book before entry; never “mental stops.”
Scaling & Compounding the Edge
When a trade works, Andrew presses—but with structure. He adds only when risk is paid and the trend proves it can keep going. These rules show you how to scale without blowing the day.
- Add-ons are allowed only after TP1 is banked and the stop on the core is at breakeven.
- Each add = half the core size; total exposure never exceeds 1R initial risk.
- Trail behind clear swing structure (last M5 higher low/lower high) rather than arbitrary pips.
- If an add fails and clips BE on the core within the same candle, stand down—no re-entries for that leg.
- Weekly target: +3R to +5R; once hit, shift to “maintenance mode” (A+ only).
Prop-Firm Constraints & Payout Safety
Andrew optimizes around rules—daily drawdown, max loss, news restrictions, and payout trust. If you trade in a prop environment, these bullets help you keep the account alive and the payouts flowing.
- Pre-session drawdown budget = 50–60% of daily limit; never plan risk for the full allowance.
- No open risk within 2 minutes before/after restricted news; if in doubt, flatten.
- Never martingale to recover a violation scare; reduce size to 50% for the next two trades after any 1R day.
- Split exposure across accounts; cap per-account heat at 0.75R total.
- Weekly cash-out rule: withdraw a fixed portion (e.g., 30–50%) after payout eligibility; keep growth steady, not spiky.
Data, Journaling, and Review
Andrew treats journaling like a trading system—fast, factual, and searchable. The aim here is to keep what works and delete what doesn’t, with numbers to back it up.
- Log every trade within 5 minutes: setup tag, session, R multiple planned vs. realized, reason to enter/exit, and screenshot.
- Weekly audit: identify the “top 2” tags by expectancy and the “bottom 1” to cut for the coming week.
- Track pre-planned vs. impulsive entries; if impulsives > 10% of total, enforce a mandatory 10-minute cool-off after any loss.
- Maintain a rolling 30-trade sample; only adjust rules after a full sample review (not mid-week).
- Keep a “kill list” of market conditions where you underperform (e.g., choppy range pre-news); auto-no-trade when detected.
Psychology & Execution Flow
Andrew’s edge is as much process as pattern. He scripts the day so emotions have nowhere to hide. Use these bullets to run your session like a checklist, not a vibe.
- Pre-market: 5-minute brief—bias, key levels, high-impact times, and one sentence on what would cancel the bias.
- During market: no music, no phone, one DOM/chart cluster per instrument; reduce sensory load.
- After a −1R day: enforce a single-instrument rule next session to rebuild focus.
- “Two-strike” rule: two consecutive execution errors = immediate session stop, regardless of P/L.
- End-of-day: 3 screenshots (best trade, worst trade, missed trade) with a single sentence each on improvement.
News & Catalyst Handling
Catalysts create opportunity and chaos. Andrew treats them like controlled burns—trade after structure returns, not during the fire. These bullets keep you on the right side of the blast.
- For red-flag releases, trade the second move: wait for the impulse, then the first clean pullback aligned with the post-news direction.
- If spread or slippage exceeds your backtested assumptions, skip that release for the month.
- Fade plays only when a clear exhaustion signal prints (failed follow-through plus structure reclaim); otherwise, stick to continuation.
- No overnight holds into major events; flatten and re-assess at the open.
- Cap news-day risk at 0.5R total unless an A+ continuation is present and pre-defined.
Weekend & Overnight Policy
Gaps and liquidity holes can turn a good week bad. Andrew solves this with strict timing and carry rules. Adopt these to protect your equity curve.
- No Friday adds after 15:30 ET; new risk only if it can reach TP1 before close.
- Do not carry over marginal R trades; only hold positions with locked-in profit and structural protection.
- Reduce size by 50% on Monday, open for the first trade—liquidity normalizes after the first hour.
- If a gap opens beyond planned invalidation, treat it as a full-1R and move on—no revenge trades to “fix” the gap.
- Weekly risk reset every Sunday: start with baseline 0.25R until you’ve booked the first green trade.
Playbook Calibration & Continuous Improvement
Edges decay unless you maintain them. Andrew runs a simple calibration loop to keep the playbook honest and sharp. Here’s how to keep yours evolving without thrashing.
- Each month, drop the lowest-expectancy setup tag and introduce one small variation to the top setup; test with half size for 20 trades.
- If rolling drawdown > 3R, enter “repair mode”: trade only A+ continuation with 0.25R risk until back to equity highs.
- Re-baseline stop distances quarterly using the last 60 sessions’ ATR on entry timeframe; never rely on old volatility.
- Create a one-page “session SOP” and read it aloud before trading; if you change it, version and date it.
- Treat size as the final lever: do not increase risk per trade until your last 30 trades show positive expectancy and error rate < 5%.
Risk Small, Survive Longer: 0.25–0.50R Per Trade.
Andrew hammers one idea: tiny risk keeps you in the game long enough to get paid. He sizes at 0.25–0.50R per trade, so a bad day stings but never knocks him off the process. That smaller bite shrinks the emotional spikes, which means better execution on the next setup. When losing streaks hit—as they always do—his equity curve dents, but it doesn’t crater.
He also uses a small risk to earn the right to press only when the tape is behaving. By keeping the initial size light, Andrew can add on strength after TP1 without flirting with daily limits. If your plan can’t make money at 0.25R risk, it won’t magically work at 1R—so prove it small first. Commit to the rule, log it, and don’t touch size until your last 30 trades show clean execution and positive expectancy.
Let Volatility Decide: ATR-Anchored Stops and Dynamic Position Sizing
Andrew sets stops where the market noise usually ends, not where his feelings want them. He anchors risk to ATR so each trade breathes according to current volatility, then sizes the position so the dollar risk stays constant. When ATR expands, position size shrinks; when ATR contracts, size gently increases. This keeps outcomes consistent and prevents a single wild candle from wrecking the day.
He also ties targets to the same volatility logic, so reward scales with risk. Andrew won’t tighten a stop just to “feel safe”; he only moves it when structure shifts or ATR compresses. The result is fewer premature stop-outs and a cleaner expectancy curve across different market regimes. If the setup doesn’t offer at least 1.8R to a logical ATR-based target, he skips it—discipline first, entry second.
Diversify Smart: Underlying, Strategy, and Timeframe Not Just Tickers
Andrew doesn’t “diversify” by holding five FX pairs that all move on the same dollar impulse. He splits risk across uncorrelated underlyings (majors vs. indices), complementary strategies (trend continuation vs. mean-reversion fades on quieter days), and staggered timeframes. If EURUSD and GBPUSD are marching to the same drum, he treats them as one bet and halves the combined exposure. That simple filter keeps his daily drawdown smooth when narratives snap.
He also staggers duration, so not every trade lives or dies on the same candle. Andrew might run a quick M5 continuation on one instrument while stalking a higher-timeframe swing on another, each with separate risk budgets. When correlation spikes, he switches to a single “best in breed” chart and parks the rest. The goal isn’t more trades—it’s more independent edges working together without doubling the same risk.
Trade the Mechanics, Not Predictions: Break-Pullback-Continuation Only
Andrew refuses to guess tops or bottoms; he waits for the structure to print the answer. His rule is simple: a clean break, a measured pullback, and a decisive continuation candle—nothing else gets his capital. By forcing the chart to do the heavy lifting, he removes the ego and trades the same pattern every session. If the pullback doesn’t tag the level or the continuation candle is weak, he stands down.
He times entries on M5/M15 but checks H4/D1 for directional bias so mechanics align across frames. Stops sit just beyond the pullback origin, not the swing extreme, keeping risk tight while honoring structure. Targets are pre-mapped to the next liquidity pocket; if the R multiple isn’t there, Andrew passes without hesitation. No third attempts—two strikes on a setup idea, and he moves on to protect focus and expectancy.
Define Your Risk: Hard Stops, Daily Drawdown Cap, No Martingale
Andrew treats risk like a contract—specific, written, and enforced every session. He places a hard stop the moment he stages an order, then sanity-checks that the invalidation is structural, not emotional. Daily loss is capped at 1.5R; the second that line is crossed, the platform closes, and the day is done. This forces consistency and keeps one bad morning from becoming a career lesson.
He also bans all forms of martingale, scaling only after the trade has paid, and structure supports continuation. If a setup underperforms or slippage spikes, Andrew cuts size for the next two trades to cool volatility on his equity curve. He never widens a stop to “let it breathe”; he would rather take the small planned loss and reset. The result is simple math: many small scratches, a few clean winners, and zero disasters.
Andrew’s core message is brutally consistent: protect the downside, let the upside take care of itself. He keeps initial risk tiny (0.25–0.50R), pins stops and targets to current volatility, and refuses to “feel” his way through trades—mechanics rule, not predictions. That lets him execute the same break–pullback–continuation pattern across changing regimes without tweaking rules every session. When conditions go stale or correlations spike, he narrows his focus to a single best-in-breed chart and stands down on the rest.
He diversifies by edge rather than ticker—mixing instruments, setup types, and timeframes so one narrative can’t sink the day. Risk stays defined at all times: hard stops in, daily drawdown capped, no martingale ever. Andrew scales only after the trade pays, journals every decision, and reviews a rolling 30-trade sample to cut what’s not working. In prop-firm constraints, he treats rules like guardrails, prioritizes payout reliability, and withdraws on schedule to turn equity on screen into cash in hand. The takeaway is a complete operating system: small risk, volatility truth, mechanical setups, strict execution, and a steady cash-out flywheel.
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