In trading, the most expensive mistake is not a single bad entry. It is repeating the same kind of bad entry over and over.
One of the simplest ways to improve entry quality is not to watch charts longer. It is to fix three things before you enter:
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- Level (where a reaction should happen)
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- Bias (which side the higher timeframe favors)
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- Trigger (what event must happen on the lower timeframe)
Please feel free to copy/paste the checklist below.
The 3-check pre-trade checklist (copy/paste)
- Level: Are you near a meaningful area (prev high/low, pivots/VWAP, supply/demand zone)?
- Bias: Is the higher timeframe (e.g., 1h/4h) aligned with your idea (or is the pullback thesis clearly defined)?
- Trigger: Did a real event occur on the lower timeframe (e.g., 5m/15m structure shift, breakout, channel/line break)?
Decision rule:
- No Level / no Bias → observe only
- Trigger only (lower TF flashing) → skip (often a trap)
- All three aligned → keep as a candidate
What 1k_scanner does for you here
This routine is not hard because the checklist is complex. It is hard because there are too many symbols, markets, and timeframes to scan manually.
1k_scanner does not invent an entry strategy for you. Instead, it helps you do this quickly:
- Compress the candidate set across many symbols/venues
- Layer timeframes so Bias is visible (MTF alignment)
- Reduce “signal without structure,” so Trigger becomes meaningful
Exits are also a 3-check problem
Invalidation matters. If you define exits before entries, your stop becomes a rule instead of a feeling.
Examples:
- Level invalidation: failure at a key level and re-entry into the prior range
- Bias invalidation: higher timeframe bias flips
- Trigger invalidation: lower timeframe structure breaks
Closing
Instead of staring at charts longer, please try fixing Level / Bias / Trigger before you enter. When those three align, unnecessary entries drop dramatically.