---
title: 'How to Start Over in 0DTE Trading: A Step-by-Step Guide'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=CsXmAJlUwZk'
video_id: 'CsXmAJlUwZk'
date: 2026-07-12
duration_sec: 490
---

# How to Start Over in 0DTE Trading: A Step-by-Step Guide

> Source: [How to Start Over in 0DTE Trading: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://youtube.com/watch?v=CsXmAJlUwZk)

## Summary

In this video, Mark Anderson, a former construction worker turned 0DTE hedge fund manager, outlines a step-by-step blueprint for starting over in 0DTE trading. He emphasizes the importance of proper capitalization, mastering options pricing fundamentals, and avoiding common pitfalls like over-reliance on backtesting software and following noisy influencers.

### Key Points

- **Reality Check: Is Trading Worth It?** [00:00] — If you're undercapitalized (e.g., $2,000 account), the math doesn't work. Making 40% on $5K is only $2K profit—not worth the time, stress, or risk. Better to invest in your career first.
- **Master Fundamentals Before Trading** [02:05] — Understand options pricing, volatility, and theta decay. Read 'Options, Volatility, and Pricing' by Sheldon Natenberg three times. This is the textbook used by top hedge funds.
- **Don't Trust Software Blindly** [03:15] — Backtesting software reflects your bias. You can massage inputs to get any result. Without understanding options, the software will lie to you.
- **Forward Test Slowly** [04:25] — Trade one lot with real capital you can afford to lose. Commit to 6-12 months of same strategy, same size, no improvisation. Progress is invisible until it's not—like melting ice.
- **Avoid Noise and Loud Voices** [05:37] — Don't follow people based on screenshots. Follow those who show reasoning and restraint. Context matters: a YouTuber with rental properties has different risk than someone all-in with 80% net worth.

### Conclusion

Success in 0DTE trading requires patience, proper education, and disciplined forward testing. Real progress takes time—skip the shortcuts and focus on building a sustainable system.

## Transcript

If I had to start over in zero DT trading today, here's what I'd do. And more importantly, here's what I wouldn't touch with a 10-ft pole. Because most traders get a lot of things completely backwards. Plus, I'll share with you
new here, my name is Mark Anderson, construction worker turn zerodt hedge fund manager. I've sold over $50 million in zerodt premium across over a,000
consecutive trading days. Let's break this down step by step. Step one, know if the carrot is worth the chase. Let's start with a reality check no one talks about. Everyone gets excited about trading, especially when options are
trading. You'll see screenshots of 100 plus% returns of people using $500 a day on Reddit. But here's the real question I'd ask yourself. Is the reward really worth the effort? Because if you're under capitalized, the math just doesn't
work. If you're 24, have no capital, and think you're going to trade your way to wealth with $2,000 and a few YouTube videos and Discord chats, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. That's not a personal judgment. It's just math. If
you're making 40% a year on a 5K account, great. But that's two grand in profit. You're not moving the boat. It's just not worth the time, stress, or risk. And if you're the kind of person buying a $2,000 course to trade a $5,000
account, you're being sold on a dream. Here's a better question. Are you monetarily useful to society? I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. If you can't consistently save 20% of your income, you're better off investing in
yourself. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, then trading isn't your biggest opportunity. Your real leverage is in your career, not the market. I'd a higher income potential, or build a valuable skill set. Then that will
trading. Step two, master the fundamentals before touching a trade. Most new traders jump straight into execution. They start back testing
without understanding what they're even testing. They watch a few YouTube videos and copy strategies from Discord, but they never actually learn what they're trading. They just play copycat. Before I ever place a trade again, I'd make
sure I understood how options are priced. Not just the surface level stuff, but the actual math behind volatility and decay of options. So, let's be clear here. You're not trading patterns. You're not trading candle
shapes. You're trading price. You're trading volatility. you're trading time decay or theta decay. If I were starting today, I would stop everything and read the book Options, Volatility, and Pricing by Sheldon Natenberg. Read it
three times. I'm not exaggerating. That's your textbooks. Period. This book is the foundation of options. It's the same book that top hedge funds and prop firms give new hires who come in with half million dollar salaries and Ivy
League degrees. It's that important. Why? because it teaches you what you're actually trading, which is pricing. Everything else, courses, influencers, flashy charts are noise, if you don't understand that book first. Step three,
don't trust the software until you trust yourself. Once I had a solid understanding of how options are priced, then I'd open up to back testing software. And here's where people screw it up. They think that the software is
going to save them. They think that just because something's automated, it's accurate. That's not true. Back testing software is like a mirror. It reflects whatever bias you bring into it. You can massage the inputs to get whatever
results you want. It can lie to you and it will if you don't know what you're doing. It's like handling someone on an Excel model for leverage buyouts. Just ready to run private equity firm. Same thing here. If you don't know how
options work, the software won't fix that. I see it all the time. Someone copies a strategy from a Discord thread, runs it through a back test, sees a 60% win rate, and then throws money at it the next day. Within a few weeks,
not working. That's not a system. That's gambling. Don't do that. Step four, forward test slowly and intentionally. If I were starting again, I would start
comically small. I'd trade one lots. I'd use real capital, but only what I could absolutely afford to lose. Not just financially, but emotionally. Then I'd commit to forward test for 6 to 12 months. Same strategy, same size, no
improvisation, no strategy hopping, and I'd track everything. Even if you're good at back testing, that doesn't mean you're ready to scale. Most people skip the forward testing step completely. They trade too big too soon and they
change their strategies too fast and then they blame the system. Most people wrong because the results don't come quickly enough. But here's the truth. Progress in trading looks like nothing until it doesn't. Yes, even if you're
It's like an ice cube. The ice cube doesn't melt until 33°. But from 0 to 32° it looks like nothing has happened. Then all of a sudden it changes. That's
what skill building looks like. Invisible, boring, and then suddenly obvious. That's what progress in trading feels like. Invisible until it's not. Step five, avoid the noise and be wary of the loudest voices. One of the worst
things you can do early is surround yourself with bad information. And unfortunately, YouTube and Discord is full of it. You might be copying a capital or someone who owns five rental properties and is just testing trades on
the side. Meanwhile, you're all in with 80% of your net worth in your brokerage account, hoping the strategy works out for you the same it does for them. Same strategy, completely different context. That's why I always say, don't follow
people based on screenshots. Follow people who show you their reasoning and their restraint. What would I do if I had to start with less than 100 grand today? Look, I get it. Not everyone starts with six figures. If I had to
strategies only. Trade one lots until I've built six to 12 months of conviction with forward tested data. Focus on high efficiency, not high
returns. Use lower buying power trades, maybe late day strategies where leverage cheaper to buy five and 10-centent wings. Avoid hedging. Instead, diversify across time and strategy type. The goal is not to win big. The goal is to stay
alive and learn what works for you without blowing up. So, what would I do if I were just starting out? I'd make sure trading was actually the best use of my time. I'd read options pricing and volatility three times. I'd use software
after I understood the math behind options. And I'd master back testing after I understood what I'm testing. I'd forward test small trades for 6 to 12 months. I'd ignore most people's advice unless I knew their full context of why
and how they're trading. I'd be patient and stop trying to skip the work. And I'd do it all with the mindset that real progress takes time, often a lot more avoid some costly mistakes, hit that subscribe button. And if you're serious
market shocks in real world conditions and you want a system that makes sense over time in the long haul to create income, check out my other videos on this channel. We go deep. See you guys on the next one.