THE 1-1-2 OPTIONS STRATEGY: MASTER PLAYBOOK

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๐ŸŽฏ SYSTEM OVERVIEW

ComponentDescription
Strategy TypeVolatility Risk Premium (VRP) Harvest System
Structure1 Put Debit Spread + 2 Short Puts
StyleDefined-risk short vol with crash buffer
Market TypeLiquid Index Options Only (SPX / NDX / /ES)
ObjectiveCollect premium while surviving volatility regime shifts

๐Ÿงฑ I. POSITION STRUCTURE (THE TRADE)

๐Ÿ“ฆ 1-1-2 CONFIGURATION

LegTypeStrike SelectionPurpose
1Put Debit Spread (Hedge)Long 25ฮ” / Short 20ฮ”Crash buffer
2Short Put~5ฮ” OTMIncome generation
3Short Put~3ฮ” OTMTail premium layer

๐Ÿ“… EXPIRATION RULES

RuleRequirement
DTE Range60โ€“120 days
Minimum DTE to hold shortsโ‰ฅ 7 days
Early exit preference>50% profit capture
No trading exceptionsEvents override entries

๐Ÿ“Š II. ENTRY FILTERS (TRADE / NO TRADE)

๐ŸŸข MARKET REGIME CHECK

IndicatorGreen (Trade)Yellow (Reduce Size)Red (No Trade)
Term StructureContangoFlat / FlatteningBackwardation
IV vs RVIV > RVIV โ‰ˆ RVRV > IV
IV Percentile> 30%15โ€“30%< 15%
LiquiditySpread < 5%5โ€“10%> 10%
Event RiskNoneMinor dataFOMC / CPI / Shock

๐Ÿšซ HARD NO-TRADE CONDITIONS

ConditionRule
BackwardationDo not trade
IlliquiditySpread > 10%
High event riskCPI / FOMC window
Low IV regimeNo premium edge

๐Ÿงฎ III. DETERMINISTIC SIZING ENGINE

๐Ÿ“ POSITION SIZE FORMULA

N=โŒŠAccountEquityร—0.023ร—UnitNetCreditโŒ‹N = \left\lfloor \frac{AccountEquity \times 0.02}{3 \times UnitNetCredit} \right\rfloorN=โŒŠ3ร—UnitNetCreditAccountEquityร—0.02โ€‹โŒ‹


๐Ÿ“ฆ SIZING RULES

RuleConstraint
Risk per trade~2% max equity
RoundingAlways round down
Minimum sizeIf N < 1 โ†’ NO TRADE
Regime adjustmentYellow = 50% size

๐Ÿ“‰ EXPOSURE LIMITS

ConstraintLimit
Correlated index exposureMax 2 units
Concentration ruleSPX / NDX / ES treated as same
Equity exposureNot allowed

โš ๏ธ IV. PORTFOLIO RISK CONTROLS

๐Ÿงจ VOLATILITY SHOCK RULE

ConditionAction
Portfolio Vega โ†‘ > 25% in 1 sessionReduce exposure 33%
Execution priorityClose 5ฮ” puts first
GoalReduce gamma exposure fast

๐Ÿ“Š RISK CAPS

MetricLimit
Portfolio Vegaโ‰ค $250 per $100k
Correlation spikeIf ~1.0 โ†’ reduce 50% exposure

๐Ÿง  V. STATE MACHINE (TRADE MANAGEMENT)


๐ŸŸข STATE 1 โ€” HARVEST (NORMAL CONDITIONS)

RuleAction
Standard exitClose at 50% profit
Yellow regimeClose at 30% profit
Profit lockโ‰ฅ35% + regime shift โ†’ EXIT
Efficiency stop<25% profit at 50% DTE โ†’ EXIT

๐ŸŸก STATE 2 โ€” DEFENSE MODE

TriggerCondition
Velocity5ฮ” short put doubles in <48h
DriftDelta rising 3 sessions + โ‰ฅ40% move

ACTION TABLE

ActionResponse
Immediate stepClose 5ฮ” short put
ResultConvert to 1-1-1 structure
No rollingForbidden in stress mode

๐Ÿ”ด STATE 3 โ€” CRISIS MODE

๐Ÿ“‰ GAP RULE

ConditionAction
SPX gap โ‰ฅ 3%Wait 15 min
No bounceExit immediately

โšก CASCADE OVERRIDE

ConditionAction
Continuous selloff after openImmediate exit
No liquidity recoveryFull de-risk

๐Ÿ’€ LIQUIDITY COLLAPSE

ConditionAction
Spread > 5ร— normal for 60 minStructural exit

โ˜ ๏ธ ABANDONMENT RULE

ConditionAction
Loss = 3ร— creditClose all positions

๐Ÿงฏ VI. POST-EVENT SYSTEM CONTROL

โ„๏ธ COOL-DOWN RULE

EventRule
Abandonment or 5% drawdown5 trading day pause

๐Ÿ“‰ RE-ENTRY LADDER

PhaseAllowed Size
Days 1โ€“550% size only (Green regime)
Day 6+Full size allowed

๐Ÿงพ MANDATORY POST-TRADE TAGGING

FieldOptions
RegimeGreen / Yellow / Red
TriggerHarvest / Drift / Velocity / Gap / Abandonment
ExecutionClean / Slipped / Partial / Failed
CauseModel / Market / Behavioral

๐Ÿงฑ VII. CORE RULES (IMMUTABLE)

๐Ÿšซ HARD LIMITS

RuleDescription
No interpretationRules are binary
No equity tradesIndices only
No <7 DTE shortsAbsolute prohibition
No rolling in crisisForbidden
No trading if N < 1System blocks entry

๐Ÿง  SYSTEM INTENT

๐ŸŽฏ WHAT THIS IS

LayerMeaning
StrategyVRP harvesting system
Risk modelDeterministic exposure control
ExecutionRule-based state machine
ObjectiveSurvive volatility regimes, not predict them

โš ๏ธ REALITY NOTE (IMPORTANT)

Risk TypeStill Exists
Overnight gap riskYes
Liquidity collapseYes
IV shock repricingYes
Broker margin changesYes

This system:

does NOT eliminate risk โ€” it controls when and how risk is allowed to expand

๐Ÿ“š 1-1-2 Strategy: Digital Resources & Bibliography

Primary 1-1-2 Video Deep-Dives

1-1-2 Articles & Strategic Documentation

Quantitative & Institutional Research (The “Why” behind 1-1-2)

  • VRP & Skew: The Volatility Risk Premium in Ratio Spreads (Emerald Insight)
  • The 1-1-2 Stress Test: Managing Double-Naked Put Exposure in SPAN Margin Environments (BIS Bulletin)
  • Market Mechanics: Beating the Financial Futures Markets (Ratio Strategies) – Collins (2006)