To The Moon

How I Navigated a 4% NVDA Drawdown by Selling Call Options and Letting Time Pay Me 💰🧠

Introduction – Drawdowns Are Part of the Game 🎢

If you trade long enough, drawdowns are unavoidable.

$NVDA 20260202 185.0 CALL$ 

NVDA dropping from 187 to 179 is roughly a 4% pullback — nothing dramatic on a chart, but emotionally, it tests discipline. Many traders panic, freeze, or do nothing. Worse, some revenge trade.

I didn’t.

Instead of focusing on the red candles, I focused on what I could control:

• Volatility

• Time

• Option premiums

This is where selling call options and cash-secured puts becomes more than a strategy — it becomes a mindset.

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Why a 4% Drop Doesn’t Scare an Option Seller 😌📉

A 4% drawdown feels very different depending on how you trade.

If you’re:

• All-in on shares → stress

• Leveraged long → panic

• Buying options → theta pain

But if you’re an option seller, price movement is only one variable.

Time is your ally.

While NVDA slipped from 187 to 179, option premiums stayed rich, volatility stayed elevated, and short-dated contracts continued bleeding value every hour.

That’s where I stepped in.

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My Core Philosophy – I Don’t Predict, I Position 🧭

I don’t need NVDA to go up tomorrow.

I don’t need it to bounce perfectly.

What I need:

• Price to not explode uncontrollably

• Time to keep moving forward

• Volatility to stay bid

Everything else is noise.

So during the drawdown, my goal wasn’t to “be right” — it was to stay productive.

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Covered Calls: Turning Dead Time Into Income 🏗️💵

Let’s start with covered calls.

A covered call means:

• I already own NVDA shares

• I sell a call option against them

• I collect premium upfront

This does three things immediately:

1. Generates cash

2. Lowers my effective cost

3. Reduces emotional pressure

When NVDA dropped from 187 to 179, I didn’t stare at the chart — I sold calls into volatility.

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Real Trades – Selling and Buying Back Calls Actively 📊🔥

Here’s what my activity looked like during this period:

• Sold NVDA 185 calls

• Sold NVDA 180 calls

• Short expiries

• Tight time windows

Example flows:

• Sell at 4.45, buy back at 4.16

• Sell at 4.40, buy back at 4.20

• Sell at 2.30, buy back at 2.10

• Sell at 1.70, buy back at 1.59

These are not home runs.

These are base hits.

And base hits compound fast.

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Why I Actively Trade Calls Instead of Waiting for Expiry ⏱️

Many people think option selling means:

“Sell and pray it expires worthless”

That’s lazy selling.

I actively manage:

• When volatility spikes, I sell

• When price stalls, I buy back

• When decay accelerates, I close

This allows me to:

• Reduce overnight risk

• Lock in profits faster

• Re-sell the same strike again

In a choppy market, activity beats passivity.

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The 180 Strike – Letting Price Come to Me 🧲

When NVDA dipped closer to 179:

• The 180 calls became very sensitive

• Premiums jumped on every bounce

• Gamma worked against buyers

This is perfect for sellers.

I sold the 180 calls knowing:

• If price stalls → premium collapses

• If price bounces slightly → I still win on decay

• If price breaks higher → I can roll

Options give flexibility.

Shares alone do not.

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Cash-Secured Puts – Getting Paid to Buy Lower 🧱💰

Now let’s talk about the put side.

I was a bit short on shares, and I was okay adding exposure — but only on my terms.

So instead of chasing NVDA at 193, I sold a cash-secured put at 195.

Why 195?

Because I don’t mind owning NVDA there.

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The Math That Most Traders Miss 🧮✨

This is where option selling shines.

Selling the 195 put:

• Premium collected: $11

• Strike price: 195

Effective buy price:

195 − 11 = 184

So even when NVDA was trading around 193, I was positioning myself to buy at 184 — nearly $9 lower.

That’s patience being paid.

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Why I’m Comfortable Selling Puts Above Market Price 😎

Some people say:

“Why sell a put above current price? That’s risky!”

I disagree.

Risk is not the strike.

Risk is ignoring premium.

If:

• I like NVDA long term

• I’m happy owning more

• I’m paid well upfront

Then selling a put is simply:

“Placing a limit order — with income.”

If NVDA drops:

• I get assigned at 184

If NVDA stays above:

• I keep the $11

Either outcome is acceptable.

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Using Calls and Puts Together – A Two-Engine System ⚙️⚙️

During the drawdown, I wasn’t doing just one thing.

I was:

• Selling covered calls on shares I owned

• Selling cash-secured puts to potentially add more

• Trading calls intraday for decay

This creates:

• Multiple income streams

• Reduced reliance on direction

• Continuous engagement with the market

It’s not about predicting — it’s about structuring probability.

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Emotional Control During the Dip 🧘‍♂️

The biggest win during this 4% drawdown wasn’t money.

It was emotional stability.

While others were:

• Refreshing charts

• Doom-scrolling Twitter

• Guessing bottoms

I was:

• Collecting premiums

• Closing trades

• Planning the next expiry

Options turn chaos into process.

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Why I Didn’t Panic at 179 📉❌

NVDA at 179 didn’t scare me because:

• My cost basis was already lowered by premiums

• My puts were positioned smartly

• My calls kept paying

Even if price stayed flat for weeks, time decay would still work.

That’s the power of selling options.

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Short Expiries, Fast Feedback 🔄

Most of my trades were:

• Short-dated

• High theta

• Fast turnover

This gives:

• Quick confirmation

• Less exposure

• More learning per week

Instead of waiting a month to know if I’m right, I know in hours or days.

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Why Small Wins Matter More Than Big Bets 🧩

A lot of traders chase:

• One big bounce

• One lucky trade

• One perfect entry

I don’t.

I focus on:

• $20

• $30

• $50

• Over and over again

During a drawdown, consistency beats hero trades.

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Risk Management – The Quiet Backbone 🛡️

None of this works without discipline.

I always:

• Size reasonably

• Close losing calls early

• Avoid emotional doubling down

• Keep cash for flexibility

Options reward patience.

They punish ego.

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Why Drawdowns Are Actually Opportunities 🎁

A drawdown:

• Increases implied volatility

• Boosts option premiums

• Creates better entries

For option sellers, red days are inventory days.

As long as the business is solid — and NVDA is — I see pullbacks as working environments, not threats.

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Final Thoughts – I Let the Market Pay Me to Wait ⏳💵

NVDA dropping from 187 to 179 didn’t break my strategy.

It activated it.

Through:

• Covered calls

• Cash-secured puts

• Active call trading

I stayed productive, calm, and paid.

I didn’t complain.

I didn’t force trades.

I used what the market offered.

That’s how you survive drawdowns.

That’s how you compound.

That’s how option sellers win.

💰 Price moves. Time pays. I collect

@MillionaireTiger @TigerStars @tigerV @TigerCoinCenter @Tiger_Contra @Esther_Ryan @Daily_Discussion