Iron Condors, and Why Capped Is Not Small

Intermediate · 13:32

Put a floor under the short strangle and the worst case becomes a number. This lesson shows why a capped loss is still not a small one.

After this lesson you can

  • Work out an iron condor's credit, both breakevens and its worst case before you enter
  • See it as a bull put spread and a bear call spread with the same expiration
  • Weigh wider wings against a bigger worst case, and know what the iron butterfly changes
  • Take profits early, size by the worst case, and close before expiration
  • Read the odds and the ratio honestly, including what happens when the stock runs

Chapters

  1. 0:00A floor under the strangle
  2. 1:23Two credit spreads
  3. 2:36What it pays at expiration
  4. 4:02The odds and the ratio
  5. 5:20Choosing the strikes
  6. 7:08When Acme runs
  7. 8:28Time and volatility
  8. 9:41Managing an iron condor
  9. 11:05Five mistakes
  10. 12:05The whole lesson on one screen

Practice in the game: Level 7 · Iron Vest

In Chinese: Lesson 13 · 铁鹰式与铁蝶式

All lessons in Options Trading for Beginners →