The Option Alpha Podcast

Odcinki

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  245: Avoiding the "Pearl Harbor" Portfolio 27.02.2026 29min

  What if your portfolio looks diversified — but isn’t? This episode explores the concept of the “Pearl Harbor "portfolio, where hidden concentration risk builds quietly beneath calm market conditions. By stacking exposure in the same tickers, expiration windows, or strategies, traders can unknowingly create a single point of failure. You’ll learn how to identify warning signs of fragility, spread risk across time and asset classes, and design strategies that behave differently under stress. Ra...
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  244: Top Trader Interviews - Jack Krupey 02.02.2026 21min

  Trading doesn’t have to consume your life to be effective. In this episode, long-time Option Alpha member Jack Krupey shares how a background in real estate and private equity shaped a steady, market-neutral approach to options trading. Instead of chasing excitement, the focus is on building systems that work across market cycles and fit naturally into daily routines. Discover how defined risk and consistent habits support long-term sustainability, along with practical advice for trader...
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  243: Longtermism - The New Battle Cry for Short-Term Options Traders 26.01.2026 26min

  Short-term trading moves fast—but without a long-term mindset, it often leads to burnout, overtrading, and inconsistency. This episode explores why sustainable success in short-term options trading depends on thinking far beyond individual trades. It introduces the concept of longtermism and explains how focusing on process, risk management, and systems can dramatically change outcomes. Learn why dopamine-driven decision-making is dangerous, how automation and rules reduce emotional pre...
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  242: Checklist Before Going "Live" With Real Money 05.01.2026 22min

  Going live with real money brings realities that paper trading simply cannot replicate. In this episode, Kirk walks through the five essential things every trader should understand and consider before transitioning from paper trading to live trading. From the limitations of paper trading to the execution challenges of real markets, we explain why strict expectations, conservative assumptions, and a solid understanding of liquidity are crucial. Kirk also breaks down how to prepare for in...
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  241: Top Trader Interviews - Kevin 29.12.2025 25min

  In this interview, Kirk sits down with Kevin, a long-time Option Alpha member who began trading in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Kevin shares how he turned his small beginnings into a consistent, structured approach that scales with his portfolio. Kevin details how he spent years learning before placing his first options trade and how those early experiences shaped his disciplined, rules-based philosophy. He explains how he uses position sizing, trend, and DTE selection to creat...
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  240: Thinking In Probabilities & Risk 22.12.2025 55min

  Markets rarely behave as predicted by mathematical models, and extreme events occur far more frequently than traditional models anticipate. This episode explains why understanding probabilities, fat tails, and risk is essential for long-term success. We also explore how traders can build more resilient systems by focusing on recovery time, appropriate position sizing, and avoiding strategies vulnerable to black swan events. Discover why win rate alone can be misleading, and how expected value...
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  239: The Rise of 0DTE Options: Is It a Game-Changer for Traders? 15.12.2025 40min

  0DTE options are transforming the way traders approach opportunity and risk. This episode breaks down why these contracts are so powerful (and popular), why 0DTE volume has surged, and how you can trade them with clarity instead of chaos. We dispel common myths and highlight the real advantages of these short-term strategies, such as rapid time decay, high liquidity, and faster statistical learning cycles. You’ll also learn about the risks that traders often ignore, how psychology impacts int...
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  238: From Developer to Options Trader - Interview w/ Jack Slocum, OA Founder 26.11.2025 50min

  In this episode of the Option Alpha podcast, Kirk sits down with his business partner and fellow founder, Jack Slocum, to share the full story behind Jack’s journey as a trader, developer, and entrepreneur. Jack talks about how he first turned to options trading to generate extra income for his family, how his early experiences “crashed and burned,” and why he has spent years since then learning as much as possible about markets and risk. Tune in now! How Jack First Got Into Options Tr...
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  237: 0DTE Trading & Gamma Exposure - Interview w/ Mat Cashman from OIC 29.10.2025 47min

  As an options trader, how closely should you be watching gamma and gamma exposure (GEX)? This episode will help you better understand gamma, interpret volatility, recognize inflection points, and build more context-aware strategies. Kirk sits down with Mat Cashman from the OIC to discuss gamma, explore how market makers hedge their positions, and why 0DTE options are so “gamma-rich.” Mat explains why hedging dynamics can create sharp market moves and how concepts like charm and convexit...
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  236: Gamma Exposure for Options Traders - Interview w/ Lex from Tradier 22.10.2025 45min

  Gamma is one of the most misunderstood yet powerful forces driving options markets. In this episode, Kirk sits down with Lex from Tradier to break down gamma exposure (GEX) — what it is, why it matters, and how it quietly shapes market movement. Together, they unpack how professional traders use gamma to stay delta-neutral, manage risk, and interpret shifting liquidity, while retail traders can use it to better understand price behavior and volatility. Lex explains the difference betwee...
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  235: Top Trader Interviews - FK 16.10.2025 23min

  Welcome to the Top Traders interview series, where we hear from Option Alpha community members who have delivered strong results over a meaningful number of trades. In this kickoff episode, FK breaks down his disciplined, probability-driven options trading strategies. We'll explore FK’s approach to selling premium with defined risk, sizing positions conservatively, and running a dual-track portfolio that balances longer-term spreads (marathons) with 0DTE trading (sprints) for consistent...
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  234: Reboot - The Comeback Tour Starts Now 09.10.2025 33min

  In this comeback episode, I’ll catch you up on the biggest updates inside Option Alpha, the major shifts in today’s options market (hello, 0DTE), and what to expect from the show going forward. The options landscape has changed dramatically in the past year. From 0DTE dominating SPX volumes to a flood of new retail traders, the environment today looks nothing like when this show last aired. This reboot of the OA podcast recaps the biggest trends shaping options right now, explores the m...
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  233: Interview with Adam Cohn: Former Market Maker & VP – TradeStation 11.10.2024 49min

  We're joined by Adam Cohn, Vice President and Head of Trading Operations at TradeStation, an award-winning trading platform known for its comprehensive trading tools, advanced charting capabilities, and extensive market analysis features. Adam brings a wealth of experience, not just from his role at TradeStation but also from his extensive background in options trading in the Chicago pits and as a market maker. His deep understanding of market structure and dedication to best execution...
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  232: Tips and Tricks for Navigating Options Expiration 07.08.2023 38min

  Show Notes: https://optionalpha.com/show232 Navigating options expiration is a critical skill for traders, especially with the rise of daily expirations. This week’s podcast explores the top 7 automated tips and tricks you can use inside Option Alpha to set up your portfolio for better options expiration management. See all 7 tips here Adjust exit options as you near expirationCheck the extrinsic value of your positions/legsCheck the probability of short legs being ITMDon’t use market orders...
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  231: The 10 New Trading Psychology Challenges Emerging from Autotrading 31.07.2023 47min

  Show Notes: https://optionalpha.com/show231 This week we explore the latest and most pressing challenges emerging for investors who have embraced autotrading. As automation revolutionizes the financial markets, traders find themselves navigating uncharted psychological territory. From trusting bots and algorithms, coping with reduced decision-making control, and the novel complexities of autotrading that demand a new style of adaptation and resilience. With help from our team, I’ll peel b...
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  230: An Evolutionary Perspective on Why Autotrading Will Dominate 19.07.2023 1godz 2min

  Show Notes: https://optionalpha.com/show230 This week I explore a deep and philosophical viewpoint into the world of automated trading and its inevitable rise for investors. I explore the evolutionary nature of human decision-making and its limitations in complex financial markets by examining cognitive biases and their impact on manual trading. I’ll also discuss the technological advancements driving this shift, risk management in autotrading, and the future trends and challenges in this...
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  229: 15 Options Trading Questions from ChatGPT 12.07.2023 1godz 52min

  AI is the hot new buzzword these days, sparked by the release of ChatGPT a few months ago. Since then, it seems everyone has used OpenAI’s software in fascinating (and sometimes scary) ways. So, I jumped into ChatGPT and asked it to come up with the top questions that new and advanced traders ask about options trading. This week's podcast explores the 15 questions - and answers - that options trades want to know. See all 15 answers here What are options and how do they work?How much ...
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  228: Price Recovery Analysis - How Long Does It Take To Get Back To Even? 26.04.2023 34min

  How long does it take a stock to get back to even after a large daily move down? And does the magnitude impact how long it takes the position to recover the loss? We’ve all been in losing trades and wondered if we should hang on to the position for a little longer or cut it loose. So, to help answer the question, we studied the short-term performance of stocks and ETFs after different daily loss totals. The study analyzed 324 assets over a 20-year period. We calculated the 5-day returns fol...
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  227: What 20-Years of Moving Average Data Teaches Us About Stock Reversals & Momentum 19.04.2023 33min

  Stocks have been described as a rubber band, and we often assume they will snap back and revert when prices become overextended. So, we wanted to know: How likely is a security to continue or reverse its momentum above and below major moving averages in short, medium, and long-term timeframes? And does the security’s proximity to a moving average impact its performance? We researched 20 years of data on 286 symbols, using short, mid, and long-term trends to analyze the ticker’s 30-day retu...
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  226: Does Adding a "Trend Filter" Improve Directional Option Selling Strategies? 12.04.2023 50min

  "The trend is your friend." It’s a popular saying amongst traders, and we hear it all the time. But is there validity in the statement? We backtested directional option selling strategies with a long-term trend filter to see if there is a significant impact on performance. We used Option Alpha's backtester to review the data for SPY, GLD, and TLT short put spreads and short call spreads. Short put spread tests included a filter to only enter trades above the 200-day moving average. Sho...