Revenge trading: how to recognise it and stop it
A loss, then an immediate bigger trade to “win it back”. Revenge trading is one of the fastest ways to turn a bad day into a bad month — and it leaves clear traces in the data.
What it looks like
After a painful loss the next trade comes quickly, often without a proper setup, often with a larger size or leverage, sometimes in the opposite direction “because now it must turn”. The goal is no longer a good trade — it is getting back to zero.
The traces in your history
- Several trades within minutes after a big loss.
- Position size after a loss larger than your usual size.
- The result of those trades clearly worse than your average.
- The worst days of the month consist of many trades, not one.
Rules that work
- Daily loss limit. Hit it — stop for the day. Decide the number in advance, not after the loss.
- Pause after a big loss. 30–60 minutes away from the screen.
- No size increase after a loss. If anything, reduce it for the next few trades.
- Tag it. Mark revenge trades honestly and see what they cost per month.
See these numbers for your own trades
Connect an exchange and your trades load automatically — PnL, fees and funding per trade. The demo works without signing up.
Why the numbers help
In the moment revenge trading feels justified. Seeing that tagged “revenge” trades lost, say, more than all other mistakes together makes the rule much easier to keep.
In CheckMyProfit
Add tags to trades, filter by them and see their result; check results by day and hour; and on Ultra let the Telegram bot warn you when the daily loss passes your limit.