Day trading basics through advanced tactics — all filtered through the OPERATOR Setup Gate. Every concept here maps to a rule you already learned in the books. Start at Section 1 and work forward.
Every section connects to your Setup Gate. You don't need all of this. You need the sections that directly improve your gate compliance.
Begin with Section 1 — Basics
7
Sections
32
Topics
6
Gates
IRA
Account type
01
Foundation
Day Trading Basics
What trading actually is, whether it's for you, and what separates people who survive from people who blow up in 90 days. This is Chapter 1 of your book in curriculum form.
Connects to: All 6 Gates — this section explains why each gate exists
Your books cover this section in Chapters 1-3 of Trade with an Edge. If you've read those chapters, you already have the foundation. Use this section as a reference when specific questions come up — not as required reading before trading.
02
Preparation
Premarket & Setup
What happens before the market opens, how to build your watchlist, and the exact Sunday workflow that defines the OPERATOR week. Gate 4 and Gate 6 live here.
Stocks, options, ETFs — what each instrument is and which ones the OPERATOR system uses. Futures and shorting are covered for context but are outside the IRA swing system.
Connects to: Scanner B (options scoring) · Options Checklist tool
Brokers, scanners, charting platforms, and paper trading. The complete tool stack for the OPERATOR system — what you need, what you don't, and what to avoid paying for.
Connects to: Gate 1 (broker choice affects liquidity) · All scanner tools
Candlesticks, patterns, volume, and indicators — all in the context of the Setup Gate. Gate 2 (structure) and Gate 5 (thesis) both require fluent chart reading.
The specific setups the OPERATOR system targets. Momentum and gap setups are calibrated for swing entry — NOT day-trade chasing. Each strategy maps to the Breakout Drill setup types.
Connects to: Gate 2 (each strategy = a specific structure) · Gate 5 (thesis template per strategy)
Position sizing, risk management, multiple time frames, and the mental discipline that separates traders who follow the gate from traders who override it. This is where most accounts blow up — not from bad analysis, but from bad execution and emotion.
Sections 7a (risk management) and 7e-g (psychology) map directly to Chapters 9-10 of Trade with an Edge and Chapters 4-6 of Hold Without Panic. Read those chapters before the psychology section here — the book covers the emotional mechanics at depth this curriculum summarizes.