$MSFT Trade Recap: A Pre-Market Plan, a Clean Trigger with Runners

Winning trades don’t start at the entry — they start the night before, in the plan. This morning’s $MSFT trade is a clean example of the Theta Warrior process: mark the levels before the bell, wait for the market to prove you right, then take what it gives you and scale out with discipline.

The plan — before the market opened

At 8:56 AM, before a single bell rang, we dropped the Elite Focus watchlist for the members — four names, each with an exact trigger price. No guessing, no chasing. Either price came to our level, or we stood aside:

• $AVGO 350P — below 355.31
• $MSFT 495C — above 492.66
• $SPY 770C — above 768.15
• $TSLA 340P — below 346.9

That list is the whole game. Everyone in the room knew exactly what we were watching and the level that would put us in. $MSFT was the one that set up.

The trigger: $MSFT reclaims 492.66

At 9:38 AM we flagged it live to the room: “Watching $MSFT 8/26 495C.” Price was pressing our 492.66 trigger with room to run toward the $500 level above. When it confirmed, we didn’t hesitate.

The trade

9:40 AM — Entry: BTO the $MSFT 26 AUG 26 495 Call at $1.39. Risk was defined immediately: stop at 491.62 or a loss of VWAP, first target 494.70+.

Then $MSFT did exactly what we needed it to. We didn’t get greedy — we scaled out into the strength:

• 9:41 AM — trim at $1.90 (+37%)
• 9:43 AM — trim at $2.10 (+51%)
• 9:49 AM — trim at $2.48 (+78%)
• 9:50 AM — trim at $3.20 (+130%) — runners only from here.

Entry to final trim: a $1.39 call taken to $3.20 in roughly ten minutes. By the last trim we were playing with house money — the initial risk was long gone, and only the runners were left to see how far it wanted to go.

The takeaway

Read the chart. Read the flow. Trade without bias. This one worked because of the boring stuff, not the exciting stuff:

• The plan came first. The trigger (492.66) was set before the open, so there was nothing to decide emotionally when it hit.
• Risk was defined at entry. Stop at 491.62 / VWAP — we knew what we’d lose before we knew what we’d make.
• We scaled out. Trimming on the way up locks in the win and takes the pressure off. You can’t blow back a gain you already booked.
• Runners only at the end. Let a small piece ride once the risk is off — that’s how you catch the outsized moves without betting the account on them.

Not every setup triggers, and not every trigger works. That’s exactly why the plan matters — it keeps you in the good ones and out of the noise.

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This is a recap of a live trade shared inside Theta Warrior Elite for educational purposes. It is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Options carry significant risk — trade your own plan and manage your risk. Want the watchlist and alerts in real time? Join Theta Warrior Elite.