Happy Thursday, traders…

Ben here.

When I first started trading, I thought the fastest path to success was to go all-in on certain positions. 

I figured the only way to make meaningful money was to “go big or go home.” 

Spoiler Alert: I went home — a lot. My oversized bets didn’t just lower my account value, they hurt my confidence.

It took some time, but I eventually realized the secret to building a successful trading career wasn’t swinging for the fences…

Rather, it was keeping my bets small while letting time, discipline, and strategy do the heavy lifting.

You see, making small bets isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about staying in the game long enough to develop the skills and mindset that lead to consistent success. 

When your bets are manageable, you can bounce back from losses without affecting your overall mindset — or worse, blowing up your account. 

And with every small, deliberate trade, you’re stacking up lessons, reinforcing good habits, and setting yourself up for bigger profits later in your career.

With that in mind, let me show you how major trading success starts with small bets…

Why Small Bets Work

In the options market — where a weekly contract can double, triple, quadruple, or more in a very short period — there’s no reason to make huge bets.

The upside on small bets can still be enormous. 

Take it from me…

Yesterday, I doubled my money (100% gains) in just over four hours on Pinterest Inc. (NASDAQ: PINS) call options…

Initial Entry (6:41 a.m.):

Final scale (10:50 a.m.):

Here’s what keeping your bets small does for you:

It Protects Your Account

The quickest way to get wiped out in trading is to bet too much on a single trade. Small bets keep your risk manageable, so you can survive the rough patches and stay in the game long enough to learn.

It Protects Your Mindset

Trading plays with your emotions. Oversized bets amplify stress and make it harder to think clearly. When you keep your position sizes reasonable, you stay calm and focused — two traits every successful trader needs.

It Builds Resilience

Small, calculated trades give you room to make mistakes, adjust, and grow without devastating consequences. Each loss becomes a learning lesson, not a make-or-break moment. Meanwhile, each small win will engrain good habits into your mindset until they become second nature. 

How to Think About Position Sizing

Position sizing is all about risk management. 

A good rule of thumb is to risk no more than 1-2% of your total account on any single trade. But if your account is small, you may want to risk 10-20%. 

That way, even if the trade goes against you, it’s just a bump in the road, not an account-ruining disaster.

Small bets add up. By keeping your risk under control, you’re not only preserving your account — but also giving yourself the best possible chance to capitalize when a truly great opportunity comes along.

When you make the size of your bet reasonable, you shift your mindset from “I need this trade to win” to “I want to trade this well.” Wanting to trade (as opposed to needing to trade) is the kind of thinking that leads to long-term success.

And let’s not forget the confidence factor. When you make manageable bets, a losing trade doesn’t feel like a catastrophe. It’s just another step in the process — a chance to learn, regroup, and move forward.

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

The truth is, the traders who succeed aren’t the ones swinging for home runs every time…

They’re the ones who approach the market with patience and discipline, consistently hitting doubles and singles, over and over again. 

Big wins might get all of the upvotes on Reddit … but small bets build real, lasting success. 

So, the next time you’re tempted to go all-in on a trade, remember: slow and steady wins the race.

Before we go, here are:

💰The Biggest Smart-Money Bets of the Day💰

• $6.5 million bullish bet on NVDA 12/13/2024 $145 calls @ $2.61 avg. (seen on 12/4)

• $4.5 million bullish bet on KWEB 01/17/2025 $29 calls @ $2.26 avg. (seen on 12/4)

• $3.8 million bullish bet on AAPL 02/21/2025 $265 calls @ $2.80 avg. (seen on 12/4)

Happy trading,

Ben Sturgill

P.S. If you aren’t checking my SPYDER Scanner daily, you’re missing huge trading opportunities…

These exact setups led me to two 100%+ winners last week.*

So, if you want to start nailing trades like those…

Join my buddy Danny Phee TODAY, December 5 at 7 p.m. EST to see the most promising Smart Money setups in the options market. 

Seats are limited — Reserve yours before it’s too late!

*Past performance does not indicate future results