Quick Reference

Trading Reference Guides

Essential Cheat Sheets for SMC & Order Flow Trading

📋 8 Reference Cards
⚡ Quick Lookup
🎯 Action-Focused

Jump to Guide

📊
Market Structure

🎯
Order Blocks

💧
Liquidity

📈
Fair Value Gaps

📉
Order Flow Basics

👣
Footprint Charts

⏰
Killzones & Sessions

🛡️
Risk Management

📊 Market Structure Quick Reference

✅ Bullish Structure

Higher Highs (HH)
Higher Lows (HL)
BOS above swing highs
Price above key MAs
Demand zones holding

❌ Bearish Structure

Lower Highs (LH)
Lower Lows (LL)
BOS below swing lows
Price below key MAs
Supply zones holding

Structure Shifts

Signal	Meaning	Action
CHoCH	First sign of reversal	Watch for confirmation
MSS	Confirmed structure shift	Look for entry on pullback
BOS	Trend continuation	Trade with trend

📋 Structure Analysis Checklist

Identify HTF trend direction (D1/H4)
Mark major swing points
Determine current structure (bullish/bearish)
Look for CHoCH or BOS on LTF
Identify premium/discount zones
Wait for price to reach POI before entry

🎯 Order Blocks Quick Reference

🟢 Bullish Order Block

Last DOWN candle before UP move
Found in discount zone
Acts as SUPPORT
Look for entries on retest

🔴 Bearish Order Block

Last UP candle before DOWN move
Found in premium zone
Acts as RESISTANCE
Look for shorts on retest

OB Quality Criteria

Criteria	High Quality	Low Quality
Displacement	Strong, impulsive move away	Weak, choppy move
Location	Premium/Discount zone	Equilibrium
Liquidity	Swept before OB formed	No liquidity grab
FVG Present	Created FVG on move	No imbalance
Fresh	Unmitigated (first touch)	Already tested

Entry Methods

Aggressive Entry

Limit order at OB edge, tight stop below/above OB

Standard Entry

Wait for LTF confirmation (CHoCH) at OB, then enter

Conservative Entry

Wait for BOS on LTF after OB touch, enter on pullback

💡 Advanced OB Types

Breaker Block: Failed OB that now acts opposite direction
Mitigation Block: OB that was tested but held
Rejection Block: Wick-based OB showing strong rejection
Propulsion Block: Strong momentum candle within OB zone

💧 Liquidity Quick Reference

📈 Buy-Side Liquidity (BSL)

Stops ABOVE swing highs
Above equal highs
Above resistance levels
Price sweeps UP to grab
Often precedes DOWN moves

📉 Sell-Side Liquidity (SSL)

Stops BELOW swing lows
Below equal lows
Below support levels
Price sweeps DOWN to grab
Often precedes UP moves

Where to Find Liquidity

Location	Type	Priority
Equal Highs/Lows	Obvious liquidity pool	⭐⭐⭐ High
Session Highs/Lows	Daily/Weekly/Monthly	⭐⭐⭐ High
Swing Points	Clear HH/LL/HL/LH	⭐⭐ Medium
Round Numbers	Psychological levels	⭐⭐ Medium
Trendline Touches	Retail stop placement	⭐ Lower

🎯 Liquidity Trade Setup

Identify liquidity pool (equal highs/lows)
Wait for price to sweep the liquidity
Look for displacement after sweep
Find OB or FVG created by displacement
Enter on retest of OB/FVG
Target opposite liquidity pool

📈 Fair Value Gaps Quick Reference

🟢 Bullish FVG (BISI)

Gap between Candle 1 HIGH and Candle 3 LOW
Forms during strong UP move
Acts as SUPPORT on retest

🔴 Bearish FVG (SIBI)

Gap between Candle 1 LOW and Candle 3 HIGH
Forms during strong DOWN move
Acts as RESISTANCE on retest

FVG Entry Points

Entry Type	Location	Risk Level
Edge Entry	Top/Bottom of FVG	Aggressive
CE Entry	50% of FVG (Consequent Encroachment)	Standard
Full Fill Entry	Wait for complete fill	Conservative

📋 FVG Trading Rules

Trade FVGs in direction of HTF trend
FVGs in premium zone = short setups
FVGs in discount zone = long setups
Fresh FVGs are more powerful
Multiple timeframe confluence = higher probability
Inverted FVGs (IFVG) act opposite after mitigation

📉 Order Flow Basics Quick Reference

Core Concepts

Term	Definition	Trading Use
Bid	Highest buy price	Passive buyers waiting
Ask	Lowest sell price	Passive sellers waiting
Delta	Buys at Ask – Sells at Bid	Shows aggressive pressure
CVD	Cumulative Delta over time	Overall buyer/seller control
Spread	Difference: Ask – Bid	Liquidity indicator

Delta Interpretation

📈 Positive Delta

More buying at Ask
Aggressive buyers dominating
Bullish pressure

📉 Negative Delta

More selling at Bid
Aggressive sellers dominating
Bearish pressure

📋 Order Types

Market Order: Execute immediately at best available price (aggressive)
Limit Order: Execute at specified price or better (passive)
Stop Order: Becomes market order when price reaches trigger
Iceberg Order: Large order split into small visible chunks

👣 Footprint Chart Quick Reference

📖 Reading Footprint: BID x ASK Format

SELLS at Bid x BUYS at Ask
Example: 150 x 230 = 80 contracts more bought at ask

Imbalance Patterns

Pattern	Ratio	Meaning
Buying Imbalance	Ask ≥ 3× Bid	Aggressive buyers at level
Selling Imbalance	Bid ≥ 3× Ask	Aggressive sellers at level
Stacked Buying	3+ consecutive buy imbalances	Strong buying zone
Stacked Selling	3+ consecutive sell imbalances	Strong selling zone

✅ Bullish Signals

Stacked buying imbalances at lows
Absorption (high volume, no down move)
Delta divergence (price down, delta up)
Exhaustion at lows (decreasing sell delta)

❌ Bearish Signals

Stacked selling imbalances at highs
Absorption (high volume, no up move)
Delta divergence (price up, delta down)
Exhaustion at highs (decreasing buy delta)

⏰ Killzones & Sessions Quick Reference

Asian Session

7:00 PM – 4:00 AM EST

Range building, lowest volatility, sets daily range

London Killzone

2:00 AM – 5:00 AM EST

High volatility, major moves begin, liquidity hunts

New York Killzone

7:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Highest volume, continuation or reversal of London

Typical Daily Cycle

Asian Range
Phase 1

Consolidation period that establishes the range. Mark the high and low.

London Manipulation
Phase 2

Often sweeps Asian high OR low, then reverses. Look for liquidity grabs.

NY Continuation/Reversal
Phase 3

Either continues London direction or reverses. Most volume of the day.

PM Session Wind-Down
Phase 4

Lower volatility, profit-taking, position squaring before close.

⚠️ Critical Times (EST)

8:30 AM: Major economic releases
9:30 AM: NYSE Open – high volatility
10:00 AM: Secondary data releases
12:00 PM: London Close – often reversal point
3:00 PM: Bond market close
4:00 PM: NYSE Close

🛡️ Risk Management Quick Reference

Position Size Formula

Position Size =

Account × Risk %
Stop Loss (pips) × Pip Value

📝 Example Calculation

Account: $10,000 | Risk: 1% ($100) | Stop: 20 pips
Position: $100 ÷ (20 × $1) = 5 mini lots (0.5 standard lots)

Risk Rules

Rule	Conservative	Moderate	Aggressive
Risk per Trade	0.5%	1%	2%
Daily Loss Limit	1%	3%	5%
Weekly Loss Limit	3%	5%	10%
Max Positions	1-2	2-3	3-5

Risk:Reward Guide

R:R	Break-Even Win Rate	Verdict
1:1	50%	Minimum acceptable
1:2	33%	Good
1:3	25%	Very Good
1:4	20%	Excellent
1:5+	17%	Outstanding

⚠️ Drawdown Recovery

Drawdown	Gain Needed to Recover
10%	11%
20%	25%
30%	43%
50%	100%
70%	233%

Key Insight: Protecting capital is easier than recovering losses!