My Trading Desk…
I’ve been meaning to get around to this post for some time…
…it’s something I’m asked about fairly regularly.
Just this week, it popped up again on the blog, so at last, the answer to the following question is yes!
“Have you written an article on what you recommend for setting up your trading station?”
Trading stations can be quite a personal thing. Everyone likes to set theirs up differently, for various reasons. The biggest reason is usually what you’re trading. Understandably, if you’re trading in-play on the horses over a matter of minutes, it’s not likely you’ll have the same setup as someone trading something like Big Brother over a few weeks!
The above image shows my current setup—a bit messy, I know. I kind of just got everything into the office as quickly as possible when I moved in, and it’s stayed that way since. I really should tidy up.
Trading the nags pre-race mainly, I find this setup works well for me. It’s a long way off what I had when I started out a little over 5 years ago. Back then, I just had a laptop. It wasn’t as swish as the one in the image above either—I didn’t even have a desk. I started on the dining room table.
If you’re at that stage now, I’d advise doing exactly what I did. Reward yourself with a little upgrade, bit by bit, as you start to profit. Knowing everything in front of you is paid for by the markets is a positive reminder when you have a crap day.
My Setup in Numbers:
1. Blackout curtains or blinds
Top priority. Trading with unwanted glare in the background or reflecting off the screen isn’t good for focus or concentration. It can also cause a pretty bad headache if you just carry on. If you’re spending a fair bit of time in front of the screen, you may as well be comfortable, right? Maximum concentration and focus are always important.
2. Main screen
The biggest of the two screens (23″). Not a lot to say other than the bigger, the better. Like I said earlier, though, at first, a laptop will suffice.
3. Second screen
This one is on a dual monitor mount, which is why you can’t see a base. I often use it as an information screen, with my main one being for the trading ladder.
4. TV (32″)
I like having a nice-sized TV to watch ATR and RUK. When they mess around with the camera angles at post time, I can still make out the runners.
5. Backup laptop
Not essential, but helpful. I usually leave the Betfair website open on this while trading, using a separate connection. Just in case my main machine or internet connection dies—these things only ever seem to happen when I have a couple of grand exposure in the market, so it’s a decent backup plan.
6. Landline phone
A good backup for when Betfair goes down on a Saturday afternoon, and I need to call the telephone betting desk to close any open positions. Although, to be honest, they’re about as useful as a chocolate teapot, so not all that essential!
7. Gamer pad
Helpful for programming hotkeys within Geeks Toy—and for playing games, of course.
8. iPad mini box
The lazy man’s way of making sure the screen is at the right height! In all seriousness, though, if you’re trading a lot, being comfortable at the screen is important. It’ll stop silly mistakes from creeping in.
9. The Snowball – The Life and Business of Warren Buffett
Trading inspiration! It also doubles as something to read on a Saturday afternoon when Betfair goes down.
10. Comfy chair
Had this one for quite some time. Comfort is key.
Other Key Features:
You’ll notice a few other things in the setup:
- Whiteboard: Handy for notes, although I cleaned it down before taking the picture.
- Sky box: A must if you’re doing this full-time or often. Online feeds are available too but can be less reliable.
- Framed photos and motivational quotes: These are on the wall to my left. I find staying motivated really helps.
- A huge stack of Racing Post: There’s a pile on the floor. I’m not sure how much reading them has helped, but I’ll take any insights I can get. Some of the best things I’ve found have come from stumbling across them by accident.
Building Your Environment
All this might be overkill for most, but I think building your environment around you is a huge part of trading. Everyone’s situation is different, but if you have a busy life or family, trading from the dining table or living room is going to be a struggle. Those kinds of environments are tough to concentrate in.
The Minimum Setup
It’s entirely possible to start with just a laptop and make a few quid, especially on a Saturday afternoon when Channel 4 is on. If you don’t have access to RUK or ATR with Sky, you can use the Betfair live feed after matching a £5 bet. The extra information can really help when it comes to making decisions in the markets. Trading without that information is like putting blinkers on.
When I make mistakes now, it’s often because I didn’t notice something elsewhere.
You can see some other trader’s setups HERE on the Geekstoy forum.
Related YouTube Video: Setting a Profile
6 thoughts on “Set Your Trading Cock-Pit For Success”
Hi Caan, Re- Cock-Pit Lay Out.
Good post. It’s always nice to see what a pro uses.
In your old set up, your “ladder” was was mounted portrait style in what seemed to be a modified screen.
Why did you change to a conventional lay out?
The gamer pad with hot keys was an interesting and original idea, can you please tell us which hot keys you use?
As [ IMO ], once you have got to grips with the basics of trading, I believe it becomes a 90% mental thing in your head to keep going forward, I thought your avice to give your self little rewards with the markets money was spot on, thanks for that.
John
Hi John,
Sure… I got a larger screen, in fact im not even sure it is 23″ might be bigger. The vertical screen was helpful for trying things inplay as you can see more market depth. Hot keys, all the usual, cancel bets, hedge, centre ladders 🙂
Completely agree with the mental thing being 90%
I am using just a laptop now like you where when you first started, but find it hard to understand what’s happening with all the runners at the same time with just the one screen. Did you fit the market overview box on the screen, along with a few ladders? I can fit 4 or 5 ladders on the screen, then have a different window for market overview, then yet another window for the betfair live video. It makes it hard for me to be quick with spotting opportunities I feel. Any advice?
Sure Callum, I used 3 ladders initially. Although when I could made the use of a seperate TV too. Less screen space isn’t ideal, although not impossible.
Hi Caan,
I’m looking at improving my set up currently trading on a laptop hooked up to the Tv by HDMI in front room(I don’t how much longer the misses will put up with it and its uncomfortable),
Just wondering about your hardware, did you custom build your computer? I’ve seen online that a run of the mill standard PC will be sufficient but I’ve had issues with is CPU usage when recording my trading, running geeks and streaming on my laptop, I don’t mind splashing the cash but I’ve been explaining to friends about what I need and all the talk of SSD hardrives and motherboards all goes over my head and seems a bit much £1000 up not including 2 x monitors(I live outside the UK, and there is no PC world with customer service round the corner) as I am only banking between £2-6 a day while trading at the moment, I understand this is an investment due to my work at the moment don’t want to go too far but I don’t also want to be upgrading in a couple of years either.
I just use an HP 17″ laptop but have just bought a big monitor for £80 and what a difference absolutely clear and I only use one scree with the ladders on and as I only trade mostly the favourite I have the candle chart up in the corner right and it works perfectly An when trading I find that all other stats and info are superfluous ..