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In this interview, the guest is Scarface Trades (aka Tony/Raph)—a Canadian day trader in his early 20s with verified multi-seven-figure results—sitting down on the Words of Wisdom podcast during their Miami studio tour. He’s known for executing on the 1-minute chart while aligning to higher-timeframe trend, trading a tight window (9:30–11:00 a.m. ET), and keeping risk-to-reward front and center. What makes him worth listening to isn’t just the P&L; it’s the process: live trading in front of hundreds, rigorous journaling, and a clear framework for when to size up or stand down.
In this piece, you’ll learn the core of his strategy in plain English: why lower time frames can still offer edge when anchored to a higher-timeframe narrative, the exact session he trades for liquidity and speed, and how waiting for candle closes filters fakeouts. We’ll also cover his data-driven playbook (journaling, reviewing, and refining), practical risk tactics (defensive until the tape proves otherwise), and the options basics he actually cares about intraday (liquidity, theta on zero-DTE Fridays, and delta). By the end, you’ll have a simple roadmap you can adapt—no gurus, no fluff, just a tested trader’s workflow you can pressure-test tomorrow morning.
Scarface Trades Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
Session & Time Window
Scarface Trades focuses on speed and liquidity, showing up for the open when momentum and participation are highest. He treats the first 90 minutes as prime time and avoids forcing trades later in the day when edges decay and spreads widen.
- Trade window: 9:30–11:00 a.m. ET; flat by lunch unless A+ setups persist.
- No-prep, no-trade rule: if your premarket plan isn’t crystal clear by 9:20, skip the open.
- If the first 10 minutes are erratic (spreads > 0.5% or RVOL < 1.5), wait for structure before first entry.
- Maximum daily trades: 3 A–A+ attempts; stop after 2 consecutive losers.
Market & Instrument Selection
He prioritizes liquid names with clean intraday trends and real catalysts. Thin volume is a hard pass; he wants tape you can enter and exit without slippage drama.
- Universe filter (pick 3–5): RVOL ≥ 2.0, average 1-minute volume ≥ 50k shares, tight spread (≤ 0.1% for equities; for options, ≥ 500 open interest and ≤ $0.10 spread).
- Catalyst bias: earnings, guidance, fresh upgrades/downgrades, or strong sector flow today.
- Avoid chop: ATR(14) / price < 1% or daily doji yesterday → downgrade ranking.
- If two symbols compete, choose the one with clearer higher-timeframe direction (H1/H4).
Framework: Top-Down + 1-Minute Execution
His edge is lower-timeframe precision anchored to the higher-timeframe narrative. The bigger picture decides direction; the 1-minute decides timing and risk placement.
- Direction: Use H1/H4 swing structure and 20/50 EMAs alignment; only take 1-minute longs when H1 is making higher highs/higher lows (and vice versa for shorts).
- Bias gate: If daily is inside day and H1 trend conflicts with open drive, reduce size by 50%.
- Location first: Prefer trades at prior day high/low, premarket pivot, or opening range extremes.
- Time filter: No entries in the first 60 seconds; wait for the first 1-minute close.
Entry Triggers (Breakout–Retest & Momentum Pullback)
He keeps triggers simple: breakouts that hold on a retest, or momentum legs that pull back shallowly and resume. Clean levels, decisive closes.
- Breakout rule: Identify level L; require 1-minute close ≥ 0.05% beyond L, then buy the first higher low that holds above L; invalidate on a 1-minute close back below L.
- Pullback rule: After an opening impulse, buy the first pullback ≤ 38.2% of leg, provided price stays above VWAP and the pullback volume contracts vs. impulse.
- Tape confirm: On the trigger candle, uptick/downtick ratio > 1.3 and spread remains ≤ entry risk.
- One-and-done: If the first retest fails, do not re-enter until fresh structure builds.
Risk, Size & Trade Hygiene
He’s defensive first, sizing only when the tape agrees. Fixed risk per attempt plus dynamic cut rules keep him in control when momentum flips.
- Risk per trade: 0.25–0.5R of daily loss limit on first attempt; only scale to 1.0R after a green first trade.
- Hard stop: 1-minute close beyond invalidation level or VWAP loss (for longs) by > 0.1%.
- Time stop: If trade hasn’t moved ≥ 0.5R within 5 minutes, cut to half size; full exit at 10 minutes.
- Max daily drawdown: −2R hard stop; no “win it back” sessions.
Adds & Scaling
Adds are earned, never averaged down. He only adds when the structure proves continuation with fresh buyers stepping in.
- Add on strength: Higher low + RVOL on add-bar ≥ 1.5x its 5-bar average.
- Keep R constant: Each add has an independent risk to the same invalidation; do not widen stops.
- Cap adds at two: If the second add stalls (2 bars without HH), trim back to core.
Exits & Targets
He takes fast partials to de-risk, then lets the trend decide whether to trail or flatten. Objective triggers replace hope.
- First target: Opening range extreme or measured move = length of opening leg.
- Trail method: 1-minute higher low trail for momentum; switch to VWAP trail after 10:30 a.m.
- Exit signals: Two consecutive 1-minute closes below VWAP (longs) with down-bar volume > up-bar volume, or loss of level that started the move.
- “Giveback guard”: If unrealized > +2R and price gives back 1R from high, lock +1R and trail tight.
Options Variant (If Trading Options on the Move)
When using options intraday, he sticks to liquid, short-dated contracts and keeps spreads tight to avoid edge leakage.
- Contract pick: 0–7 DTE, delta 0.35–0.55, open interest ≥ 1,000, spread ≤ $0.10.
- Liquidity check: Tape pass on underlying first; if the underlying fails liquidity tests, skip the option.
- Theta guard: No late-day buys on same-day expiry unless already in profit and managing runner.
- Risk mapping: Size so each contract loss ≈ stock-mode stop distance × dollar per tick.
VWAP & Volume Rules
VWAP is his north star intraday; volume confirms whether the move has real sponsorship or not.
- Bias with VWAP: Only long above VWAP with rising cumulative delta; only short below with falling delta.
- RVOL gate: Require 30-minute RVOL ≥ 2.0 for momentum plays; if 1.0–1.5, take only mean-reversion fades at extremes with half size.
- Volume retention: Hour 1 → Hour 2 retention < 40% → avoid adds; consider taking the rest off into weakness.
- Halt/SSR rule: After a halt or SSR flip, if the price cannot reclaim VWAP within 10 minutes, flatten.
Premarket Plan & Open Read
He starts with a simple plan on levels, catalysts, and scenarios, then updates bias quickly at the bell. Process beats prediction.
- Plan three scenarios: breakout continuation, breakout fail → fade, range day.
- Mark levels: Prior day H/L, premarket H/L, overnight mid, key daily swing.
- The first two 1-minute bars decide initial posture; if they conflict with the plan, reduce risk by 50% until clarity.
- News shock: If an unexpected headline hits, stand down for 3 minutes and re-map levels.
Journaling & Review
Systematic review is how he refines entries, exits, and size. He logs everything and evaluates with cold eyes.
- After-session checklist: Did I follow time filters, RVOL gates, and VWAP bias? Grade each trade A/B/C.
- Screenshot protocol: Save pre-entry, entry, exit, and post-move with annotations.
- Metrics to track: Win rate by setup, average R per setup, slippage per instrument, time-in-trade.
- Weekly rule: If a setup drops below +0.3R expectancy over 20 samples, bench it for two weeks.
Mindset & Discipline
He treats patience as a position. If the market isn’t paying today, he protects mental capital and returns tomorrow.
- One green and done: If the first A+ trade hits +2R by 10:15, consider the day over.
- No revenge: After any −1.5R single trade, mandatory 15-minute reset off screens.
- Noise filter: Mute PnL; trade the chart. PnL reappears only after flat.
- Consistency > heroics: Edges compound through restraint, not frequency.
Size Risk First: Define Max Daily Loss Before You Click Buy
Scarface Trades—real name Tony (aka Raph)—starts every session by putting a ceiling on damage, not by hunting for home runs. He decides the max he’s willing to lose for the day, translates that into risk-per-trade, and only then thinks about setups. That simple order of operations keeps him objective at the open, especially when emotions and volatility are loud. If the first trades don’t behave, the pre-set cap pulls him out before tilt takes over.
In practice, that looks like picking a daily loss limit (say, 2R), sizing each attempt at a fraction of that (0.25–0.5R), and stopping immediately when the limit hits—no “one more try.” After a first loser, he cuts size; after two in a row, he stands down and waits for a fresh A+ look. He measures progress in rule-following as much as P&L, because consistent risk is what lets the edge show up over time. The takeaway is simple: set the limit, size to it, and let discipline be your edge when the market isn’t.
Trade the Tape, Not Your Bias: Mechanics Over Market Predictions
Tony (aka Scarface Trades) makes it clear that opinions don’t pay—mechanics do. He builds a directional bias from higher time frames, but he refuses to act until the tape confirms: VWAP alignment, RVOL above threshold, and a clean 1-minute structure. If the tape disagrees with his bias, he follows the tape, not the forecast. Candle closes matter more than wicks, and levels matter more than headlines.
In execution, Tony waits for a breakout-and-retest or a momentum pullback that holds above VWAP, then enters on confirmation rather than anticipation. He times risk to structure: stop below the level that proved the move, not some random round number. If spreads widen or RVOL fades, he cuts quickly—even if the “story” still sounds bullish. The rule is simple: let price action validate the idea, and if it doesn’t, walk away and find a setup that does.
Allocate by Volatility: Scale Position and Targets to RVOL
Tony (aka Scarface Trades) doesn’t size every trade the same; he lets volatility call the shots. When RVOL is hot, he takes the A+ setup with normal size but tighter profit targets and faster partials. When RVOL is mediocre, he cuts the size in half and demands a cleaner structure before committing.
Practically, he pairs RVOL with ATR or opening leg range to calibrate stops and targets. High RVOL day? He uses a smaller stop (tucked under the retest) and pays himself at the opening range extreme, then trails. Low RVOL day? Wider stop to the true invalidation and a single conservative target—no scaling in unless volume builds. If RVOL slips below his threshold mid-trade, Tony trims first and asks questions later. The message is simple: volatility is the throttle—use it to control size, distance, and expectations.
Diversify Edge: Mix Underlyings, Setups, and Holding Durations
Tony (aka Scarface Trades) spreads his edge across more than one lane, so a single market condition can’t sink his day. He keeps a small watchlist of liquid names but rotates focus based on which ticker has a clean trend, RVOL, and catalyst. Within that, he alternates between two core intraday setups—breakout-retest and momentum pullback—so he’s never dependent on just one trigger. If neither shows up, he doesn’t force a trade; he waits for the instrument that actually fits the playbook.
Diversification for Tony also means varying the hold time to match volatility instead of forcing every trade into the same mold. On fast open drives, he aims for quick partials and tight trails; on steadier sessions, he lets runners work toward measured moves or session highs/lows. He avoids stacking correlated positions at the same moment to keep account risk contained. The result is simple: multiple ways to win, fewer ways to blow up, and a process that survives different tapes.
System Rules Win: Entry, Add, Exit, Review—Repeat Without Emotion
Tony (aka Scarface Trades) treats the playbook like a checklist, not a suggestion. He enters only after structure confirms—level break, retest holds, VWAP alignment—and never because he “feels” it. Adds are earned on higher lows with real volume, not thrown at losers to “fix” a bad entry. Exits are prewritten: first target to de-risk, then a trailing logic that turns off the moment VWAP or structure fails.
After the trade, Tony grades execution, not luck, so the system gets sharper while emotions cool off. If a rule breaks even once, he flags it and cuts the size on that setup until the data says it’s back. He resets to flat when the day’s plan is done rather than forcing encore trades that don’t fit the script. The net effect is simple: the rules trade, Tony just clicks the buttons.
In the end, Tony (aka Scarface Trades) makes trading look simple by stripping it down to rules, routine, and ruthless self-control. He shows up for the liquid part of the day with a plan, anchors direction to the higher time frame, and lets the 1-minute chart handle timing. Risk is pre-decided, not negotiated mid-trade: fixed daily cap, smaller size after a loss, and no re-entries until structure rebuilds. He respects VWAP, watches RVOL like a throttle, and demands a clean breakout-retest or momentum pullback before clicking. When the tape says no—spreads widen, volume fades, or correlation disagrees—he cuts and resets without drama. Options are a tool, not a crutch; he sticks to liquid contracts and maps risk back to the underlying. And he treats patience as a position: if the A+ look doesn’t appear, the best trade is no trade.
What separates Tony is the feedback loop. He journals every session, screenshots key moments, grades execution, and benches any setup whose expectancy slips. He diversifies his edge across symbols, setups, and holding times so one market mood can’t wreck his week, but he never averages down or widens stops to “save” a thesis. The playbook runs the show: enter on confirmation, add only on higher lows with real volume, take fast partials to de-risk, trail with logic, and flatten the moment structure breaks. That mechanical backbone—paired with a steady routine outside the charts—turns consistency into his unfair advantage.
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