1. What is Revenge Trading

Revenge trading is entering right after a loss to win it back, off-plan, usually with bigger size and a bitter mindset. You're no longer trading the market — you're fighting it.

2. Why it matters

  • It's one of the fastest ways to blow an account: lose → size up to recover → lose worse → angrier → size up more.
  • It turns a small planned loss into a runaway chain of losses.

3. Warning signs

  • Hunting a new trade immediately after a loss.
  • Increasing size to "recover quickly".
  • Feeling angry, wanting to "show the market".
  • Ignoring entry criteria, entering randomly.

4. How to control it

  • Have a stop-after-loss rule: e.g. after 2-3 losses in a row or a daily loss limit → turn off the screen, rest.
  • The 6% monthly rule (see Risk per Trade): hit the monthly loss cap and you stop — a system-level fence against revenge.
  • Separate emotion from money: the last loss is the past; the next trade must be judged independently, not as "getting even".
  • When you feel the urge to enter to recover → that's when you leave the screen.

5. Worked example

You lose $1,000 per plan (exactly 1% risk). Instead of accepting it, you enter a new trade 3× the size to "recover fast". It's wrong → you lose $3,000. Angrier, you go 5×… Within one session, a planned $1,000 loss becomes an unplanned five-figure loss.

6. Common mistakes

  • Sizing up to recover — the core mistake.
  • Trading nonstop after a losing streak.
  • Treating the next trade as a debt collector against the market.
  • No stop rule so nothing halts the spiral.

7. FAQ

  • If I don't try to recover, when do I get back to even? By returning to plan-based trading in a calm state, not by sizing up while bitter.
  • How do I know I'm revenge trading? If the reason for a trade contains "recover" or "get even" → it's revenge, not trading.

8. Tools

  • Daily/weekly stop rules (trade-count limit, loss limit).
  • A trading journal — flag revenge trades to see their loss rate.

9. Checklist

  • ☐ Is this trade to "recover" the last loss?
  • ☐ Is size raised above normal?
  • ☐ Am I angry / bitter right now? (If so → stop.)