ICT Trading Decision Flow

Daily bias → Structure → Setup chain → Entry → Management · No guesswork, no forcing

🗓️ Pre-Session Check

Calendar: any high-impact news today?
Set daily risk cap. Identify killzone windows.
See: Morning Checklist

1 · Define Your Bias

Bullish / Bearish / Neutral — based on Daily/Weekly bias.
Fair value gaps, order blocks, sweep of high/low on 1H/15M.

2 · Killzone Window?

Are you in a killzone? NY AM: 08:30–11:00 AM ET (prime sub-window ★ 10:00–11:00 AM ET)
London AM: 02:00–05:00 AM ET · London Close: 10:00–12:00 ET

YES — trade

3a · Map Levels In-Zone

Mark FVG, order blocks, breaks of structure on 5M/15M.
Identify liquidity pools (equal highs/lows, stop clusters).
Note: 1H/15M sets structure; entry is always on 5M/3M/1M.

4a · Setup Is a Chain — All Three Steps Present

Step 1 — Liquidity sweep: price grabs equal high/low or stop cluster first.
Step 2 — Displacement / MSS: strong candle displaces through structure with an FVG.
Step 3 — Enter: on the FVG or OB that the displacement left behind.
All three required. Sweep alone = not a signal.

YES

5a · Entry Confirmed

Zone: entry is in the correct premium/discount half of the range.
Stop: beyond the swept liquidity wick + buffer — not at structure (that gets wicked out).
Risk: ≤1–2% of account per trade.
Size position using Position Size Card.

NO

Skip / Wait

No valid setup. Stay out.
Patience is a position.

NO — skip

3b · No Trade Today

Outside killzones = lower probability.
Update journal. Come back tomorrow.


6 · Trade Management

Target: next liquidity pool / opposite end of the range.
ICT minimum: 1:3 reward-to-risk. R usually ≥3 — let it run, don't clip early.
Move to BE: only after price clears a real structural or liquidity level — not at an arbitrary 1R.
Never move your stop against you. Review Position Size Card — risk is locked at entry.

WIN

✅ Take the profit

Log the trade. Note what worked.

LOSS

❌ Accept the loss

Stop hit. Log it. Move on — risk was defined.

Key trigger
Decision point
Proceed / win
Stop / skip / loss