// Overview
Momentum traps bait the chase during late-leg expansion, then flip liquidity against the last buyers/sellers. Your job is to read context — structure, session window, liquidity posture — and only engage when acceptance confirms intent. The loop stops when rules replace adrenaline.
// Trap Mechanics
Spoof → Sprint → Stall
Depth bluffs pull in chasers; price sprints; then books thin and stall under HTF level.
If acceptance never prints above the level, sprint = distribution, not breakout.
Late Session Push
Move begins near window close; participation decays; slippage rises.
True moves prefer open/overlap. Late pushes are where traps breed.
Range Edge Misread
Edge tags + wicks != breakout. Need hold/reclaim (two closes) or it’s bait.
Chop regimes punish market orders on first poke.
News Candle Drift
Vol spike fakes structure; reaction fades; reclaim never sustains.
Let the print settle. Trade acceptance, not the spike.
// Exhaustion Tells
Wicks + Diverging Participation
Range expansion by price, not by volume/participation. Long wicks at the push end.
Next candle can’t hold bodies above the break.
Giveback > 50% Quickly
Vertical leg gives back half in 1–2 bars without reclaim = distribution signal.
That’s not “healthy pullback,” it’s trap unwind.
Failure at the First Retest
Break → first retest instantly fails; acceptance never appears.
Two failed holds is your loud siren.
Session Misalignment
Push launches deep in dead hours; orderbook thin; maker behavior one-sided.
Time fights the move — so should you.
// Counters & Playbook
Acceptance Gate
Only engage after acceptance (e.g., two closes) beyond the level — or reclaim if it was a sweep.
“Touch” is not a trigger; “hold” is.
Reversal on Failed Hold
If the break fails and acceptance returns inside range, flip plan to mean-revert toward mid.
Invalidation = fresh acceptance back beyond the failed level.
Window Discipline
No fresh risk outside your timing windows. Let late pushes die alone.
Carry only if structure + time continue to agree.
Written Branches
“If acceptance, continue. If failed hold, exit/flip. If giveback >50% in 2 bars, flat.”
Branches pre-commit you against FOMO improvisation.
// Execution Protocols
Trigger ≠ Velocity
Your trigger is a condition at a level, not “it’s ripping.”
If you can’t state level + trigger + invalidation in a sentence, you’re chasing.
Pulse Entries Only
Starter on reclaim/acceptance; add only after proof persists.
Never all-in on first poke; that’s how traps win.
De-Risk at First Objective
Skim 25–33% at mid/first target; move stop to B/E only after acceptance beyond objective.
Protect the mind, not just the PnL.
Full-Exit Triggers
Loss of reclaim, failed hold on retest, or 50% giveback in two bars.
Any one → flat. No courtroom.
// Common Mistakes
Buying the Top Third
Acting in the final expansion zone without a plan. If you’re late, you’re bait.
Trading the Spike
News candle = uncertainty, not structure. Wait for reclaim/acceptance.
Window Blindness
Ignoring session context. Great structure at the wrong time still fails.
Refusing the Flip
Break fails, but you “believe.” Belief isn’t a setup — flip or flatten.
// Checklist
Before Entry
HTF level + session window aligned • Trigger = acceptance/reclaim • Invalidation written.
Risk tier set • First objective defined (de-risk band).
During the Move
Acceptance persists? Pulse add. Giveback > 50% in two bars? Flat.
Retest fails twice? Flip or stand down.
