Section 05 · The Plays · putting levels to work

The plays

Twelve concrete setups built directly on the nine levels, plus a map of which greek leads each day of the week. Every play tells you the setup, entry, target and stop in terms of the lines on your chart.

05.1

Discipline first

Wait for confirmation
Never pre-enter at the edge
Let price enter the zone AND print a confirmation candle. The level is a zone, not a single tick.
Targets are levels
Exit into the next line
Your target is the next opposing level — not the peak node, which is an anchor, not a destination.
Stops are breaks
A close through, not a wick
Invalidation = a decisive close beyond the level. Wicks hunt stops; closes change the story.
◎
Read the regime before any play. Above the gamma flip you fade extremes (gamma & charm plays). Below it you follow momentum (trapdoor plays). The flip decides which half of this page applies right now.
05.2

Gamma plays

Play G1
Flip-level reaction
SetupPrice approaches the gamma flip — the last meaningful +γ cluster before negative territory.
EntryPrice enters the zone AND prints a confirmation candle. Never pre-enter at the edge.
TargetFirst opposing level — the ceiling above or floor below.
StopClean close back through the flip.
Long at +γ floorShort at −γ ceiling
Play G2
Trapdoor break
SetupA trapdoor sits right beside price with no +γ catch on the far side.
EntryMomentum entry on the confirmed break of the last wall before the trapdoor.
TargetNext floor / +γ cluster beyond the vol zone.
NoteMove amplifies fast. Wider stops, larger size. Don't fight it.
High velocityFollow the break
Play G3
Trend-day follow
SetupForward Negative Slide board — −γ stacked ahead in the direction of travel at the open.
EntryAny shallow pullback to an intraday level. Don't wait for a deep retrace in trend mode.
TargetNext trapdoor / vol-trigger strike in the trend direction.
StopFlip back above the last positive cluster.
Buy dips up-slideShort rips down-slide
Play G4
Pin-gravity fade
SetupPrice extended away from a dominant magnet on a +γ ramp board. Morning only.
EntryFade the extension back toward the dominant node (largest absolute gamma strike).
TargetThe magnet itself — the pin-gravity destination.
StopBreak and hold beyond the second level away from the pin.
Range day onlyMean reversion
05.3

Vanna plays

Vanna gives direction; gamma gives the entry level. These are bias plays you express through the gamma lines.

Play V1
VIX-crush drift
SetupNet +VEX board, VIX actively falling from an elevated level (not flat — falling).
EntryLong any minor pullback to a floor / +γ level. Gamma gives the spot, vanna the direction.
TargetOpen-ended — hold until the VIX stops falling.
StopsWide. Vanna drifts don't retest cleanly; tight stops get clipped.
Best Tue / ThuVIX must be falling
Play V2
VIX-spike reversal
SetupA sharp VIX spike (5%+ intraday) that stalls and starts to curl back down.
EntryFirst 15-min candle that closes lower than it opened on the VIX → long ES at that confirmation.
TargetFull retrace of the vanna-driven drop — back to the morning gamma level.
TellES lower-low while VIX makes a lower-high — that divergence is the signal.
Highest convictionAny day
Play V3
Weekly Thursday reversion
SetupMon–Wed made a big directional move with the VIX stretched; Thursday opens still extended.
EntryDown week + VIX spiked → buy Thursday open. Up week + VIX crushed → fade Thursday open.
Target50–61.8% retrace of the week's vanna-driven move.
ExitBy 2pm ET. Do not hold into Friday's charm dynamics.
Thursday onlyExit by 2pm
Play V4
OPEX-week vanna window
SetupWeek of the 3rd-Friday monthly. Net +VEX, VIX elevated but falling.
EntryBuy Monday open of OPEX week; hold through Thursday.
TargetMulti-day sustained move — vanna compression into OPEX is the month's strongest.
ExitThursday close. Never hold into OPEX Friday — dynamics flip.
Swing tradeExit Thu close
05.4

Charm plays

Afternoon, expiry-day setups built on the charm clock and the pin strike.

Play C1
Afternoon pin drift
SetupWed or Fri, post-noon. Price within ~0.5% of the dominant charm pin.
EntryAbove pin → short rips toward it. Below pin → buy dips toward it.
TargetThe pin strike. Exit at or just before — don't hold through.
TellSlow grind, low volume, no momentum. That IS the trade — don't wait for a breakout.
Wed / Fri PMExit before pin
Play C2
Morning bias filter
SetupWed or Fri morning. Price opens far (>0.5%) from the pin strike.
UseKeep your gamma entry — but set the pin as your profit target and bias direction toward it.
NoteCharm is a filter here, not an entry. It tilts your target and direction for the session.
Morning filterTarget = pin
Play C3
Final-hour unwind
SetupLast 45–60 min of expiry. Price sitting on/near the pin, calm and quiet.
EntryAt 3:45pm, identify which side of the pin price is on; momentum entry that way only.
TargetQuick 5–10 point move as gamma expires and the pin collapses.
NoteTight stops, small size. Optional — skip if unclear.
3:45pm onlySmall size
Play C4
Post-OPEX Monday gap
SetupMonday after the 3rd-Friday OPEX. Gap open either direction.
RuleGap into a −γ zone → follow. Gap into a +γ cluster → fade, target the gap fill.
WhyThe board fully resets after OPEX — no charm anchor, the cleanest fresh gamma of the month.
Post-OPEX MonCheck γ sign first
05.5

The weekly map

⚠
Override rule: if the VIX moves more than 5% intraday on any day, vanna takes over — drop the scheduled greek and switch to a vanna regime read until the VIX stabilizes.
Mon
Primary greek
GEX only

Cleanest gamma of the week. Fresh board, no expiry hangover, light open interest — pure gamma mechanics. Trade the ramp structure and the flip with full confidence; use reaction zones, not single strikes. Charm is mild even into the afternoon. The Monday after OPEX is the single most reliable gamma read of the month — run Play C4 on the gap, then fresh gamma analysis.

Tue
Primary greek
GEX + VEX check

Gamma still leads, vanna starts whispering. Run the Monday gamma playbook but glance at the VEX column at the open. If price ignores two+ gamma levels in a row, you may be in a vanna flow day — switch to Play V1. A nearby 7-DTE VEX cluster can override your gamma read without warning, so note its location as your "if I'm wrong" explanation.

Wed
Split day
GEX → Charm

Gamma morning, charm afternoon. Treat the AM like a slightly noisier Monday — full ramp analysis, but set profit targets at the pin strike (Play C2). At 12:00 the hard switch: drop gamma-level fades, trade pin drift only (Play C1), fade everything moving away from the pin. Exit by 3:00. Optional 3:45 unwind (C3) with tight stops.

Thu
Primary greek
Vanna (VEX)

Vanna's day. Wednesday's expiry cleared, the board rebuilds for Friday, and IV is still repricing — vanna sensitivity peaks. The VIX direction at the open matters more than any gamma level. Gamma becomes speed-bumps (where stops go), not direction. VIX falling + net +VEX → buy dips all day (V1); big week + VIX stretched → counter-trend reversion (V3). Exit vanna plays by 2pm.

Fri
Split day
GEX → Charm

The strongest charm of the week. Same shape as Wednesday — gamma AM, charm PM — but the Friday weight bump makes the afternoon pin the firmest of the week (OPEX Fridays firmest of the month; quarterly triple-witching the most intense of all). Identify the pin by 11am, trade toward it post-noon (C1), and exit by 3:30 without exception. Note the unwind direction into the close to prep Monday's Play C4.

05.6

Quick reference

Which greek leads each day

Mon
GEX
Cleanest gamma. Trade ramps & flip.
Tue
GEX+
Gamma leads, watch a VEX cluster.
Wed
GEX→Charm
Switch to pin drift at noon.
Thu
VEX
VIX direction over any level.
Fri
GEX→Charm
Strongest pin. Exit by 3:30.

Pre-market checklist — 5 steps

1. Classify the ramp (Forward/Backward, Pos/Neg)
2. Find the flip (last meaningful +γ cluster)
3. Map the trapdoors (−γ next to price)
4. VEX sign + VIX direction → vanna lean
5. Pin strike (largest abs γ near price, round number)
+ Day of week → which greek is primary

All plays at a glance

PlayGreekSetupBest dayTrigger
G1 — Flip reactionGEXPrice at the flip zoneMon / TueConfirmation candle in the zone
G2 — Trapdoor breakGEX−γ adjacent, no catch beyondMon / TueBreak of the last wall on volume
G3 — Trend followGEXForward Negative Slide boardMon / TueShallow pullback to a level
G4 — Pin-gravity fadeGEXExtended from a magnet, +γ rampMon AMAny extension away from the pin
V1 — VIX-crush driftVEX+VEX + VIX fallingTue / ThuPullback to a +γ level
V2 — VIX-spike reversalVEX5%+ VIX spike that curls downAny dayFirst 15m VIX candle closing down
V3 — Weekly reversionVEXBig week + VIX stretchedThursdayCounter-trend at open, exit 2pm
V4 — OPEX windowVEXOPEX week, +VEX, VIX fallingMon–Thu OPEXMonday open, swing to Thu close
C1 — Afternoon pin driftCharmPost-noon, near the pinWed / Fri PMAny move away from the pin
C2 — Morning bias filterCharmExpiry day, far from pin at openWed / Fri AMBias + target filter on gamma entries
C3 — Final-hour unwindCharm3:45pm, price near the pinWed / FriMomentum toward the pin side
C4 — Post-OPEX gapCharmMonday after OPEX, gap openPost-OPEX MonGap into −γ follow, +γ fade

DTE → greek map

DTEDominant greekWhat it means
45+VegaMacro positioning. Not directly tradeable on Periscope.
21Vanna buildsOPEX-week setup begins; VEX column starts showing intent.
7Vanna peakWeekly vanna target. Thursday's anchor. Most IV-sensitive.
3Charm buildsTime decay takes over from vanna. Wed-PM setup begins.
1Charm + GEXThursday into Friday. Both active. Run the charm clock.
0GEX + CharmDaily expiry. Your core framework — 40–50% of all SPX volume.
Primary source: plays and the weekly framework are the 8BitTrading house system, mapped onto the levels emitted by the gexgreeks and gamma-ramps skills. Pair with the level deep-dives on the Levels page.