How This Trader Made $1.3M From Prop Firms in 18 Months

Six years. That's how long Zamco spent losing money in the markets before everything clicked. Not small losses either – significant capital, countless strategies tested, mentorships purchased, courses consumed. The typical trader grind that bleeds accounts dry while promising the breakthrough is "just around the corner."

Then, in 18 months, he withdrew over $1.3 million from prop firms. Not simulated profits. Not hypothetical returns. Real payouts from firms like Funded Next, FTMO, and others. This is the story of how he did it – and why his approach might be uncomfortably different from everything you've been taught.

The Turning Point: When Loss Became Focus

The shift wasn't gradual. It was a single event that forced introspection. Zamco describes losing his father as the catalyst that made trading stop being entertainment and start being obligation. Suddenly, the reckless gambling behavior that characterized his first six years couldn't continue. He had people depending on him. Responsibilities that mattered more than the dopamine hit of a risky trade.

This distinction matters more than any technical strategy. Zamco emphasizes repeatedly: if you're trading for the thrill, you've already lost. The market doesn't reward adrenaline junkies. It rewards boring consistency.

The Two-Phase System: Evaluation vs. Funded Accounts

Most traders approach prop firm challenges and funded accounts the same way. Zamco does the exact opposite. His system splits into two distinct phases with completely different risk profiles.

Phase 1: Aggressive Evaluation Trading

During the evaluation phase, Zamco's risk appetite is shockingly high. Where conventional wisdom says "risk 0.5% to 1% per trade," he's taking 2% to 4% per trade during challenges. His reasoning? The evaluation is a numbers game. Either you pass or you don't. Conservatism doesn't get rewarded until you're managing real capital.

His evaluation approach:

• Risk 2-4% per trade to hit profit targets efficiently
• Trade daily – sometimes multiple times per session
• Focus on speed – he'll pass a $100K challenge in 3-5 days
• Deliberately breach rules to reset daily drawdowns faster
• Buy new accounts immediately rather than waiting for daily limits

This is not conservative. It's not "safe." But it's ruthlessly effective for passing evaluations quickly. The cost? He spends approximately $300,000 on failed challenges and rule breaches. But that investment generates a 1:4.3 return ratio when factoring in the $1.3 million in payouts.

Phase 2: Managing Funded Accounts

Once funded, Zamco's approach completely changes. High risk during evaluations, refined precision on live accounts. He manages up to 1.5 million in aggregated funding across multiple prop firms, copy-trading his setups across accounts.

His funded account strategy: One trade per day. That's the entire system. He waits for his high-conviction setup, executes across all accounts simultaneously, and targets previous session highs or key liquidity levels. Once the target is hit, he requests the payout and rotates to the next account.

On funded accounts, his risk-to-reward shifted dramatically. While evaluation accounts might target 1:2 or 1:3, funded accounts regularly achieve 1:5 to 1:10 with tight 15-20 pip stop losses on instruments like gold. A single trade can generate $20,000 to $60,000 in profit across his portfolio.

The Technical Edge: Trading with the Trend

Zamco's strategy hasn't changed much in eight years. The core concept is beautifully simple: trend continuation on naturally appreciating assets like gold, NASDAQ, and the German DAX.

Entry Criteria on the 1-Minute Chart

Despite the ultra-short timeframe, Zamco doesn't see 1-minute charts as noise. He views market structure as fractal – what happens on the 1-minute mirrors what's happening on the 1-hour and daily charts.

His entry process aligns multiple timeframes. He waits for the daily bottom wick to form (often during Asian or London sessions), then looks for:

• Market structure shift on the 1-minute after sweeping a low
• Retracement into a fair value gap or inefficiency
• Entry with stop loss below the inefficiency
• Target: previous daily high, session high, or next major liquidity level

This creates entries with 15-20 pip stops targeting 75-150+ pips. The risk-to-reward mathematics are absurd, but only because the timing and directional bias are precise.

Why He Never Uses Fixed Risk-to-Reward Ratios

Most traders set mechanical targets: 1:3, 1:5, whatever their system suggests. Zamco abandoned this entirely. His take profit levels are based purely on technical structure: previous highs, session ranges, premium zones that price hasn't tested.

If his entry and stop loss create a 1:2 to reach the obvious level, fine. If it's 1:10 because his entry was exceptional, he holds for the full target. The market doesn't care about your risk-to-reward preference. It moves to liquidity and structure.

The Numbers Game: $300K In, $1.3M Out

Zamco spent approximately $300,000 on prop firm evaluations over 18 months to generate $1.3 million in payouts. That's a 1:4.3 ratio, which is exceptional in the current prop firm landscape.

He breaks accounts frequently. Not from bad trades, but from deliberately breaching rules to reset daily drawdowns faster. Instead of waiting until tomorrow to trade again, he'll buy a new account immediately. Time is more valuable than the evaluation fee.

Where the money went: His largest paying firm was Funded Next, generating over $400,000 in payouts from a single prop company in roughly a year. His restrictions? Limited to 1% risk per trade and 70% margin usage. Even with those constraints, he consistently withdrew $20,000+ per payout.

The Dark Side: Live Account Gambling

While disciplined with prop firms, Zamco admits to a pattern with personal capital that reveals the psychological complexity of trading. He once turned $2,000 into $350,000 in two weeks using 1:500 leverage, then blew $100,000 in 30 minutes after withdrawing $250,000.

The thrill-seeking behavior is undeniable. He describes trading as the only activity where he feels truly alive. Everything else – travel, achievements, even financial success – feels muted by comparison. This is the edge of addiction, and he's aware of it.

Lessons From the Journey

What's Next for Zamco?

Despite the financial success, Zamco is planning his exit. He's targeting $1.5 million for 2025, then transitioning into real estate and passive income. The trading lifestyle – sleepless nights, constant stress, physical deterioration – isn't sustainable.

His advice to traders still in the struggle? Stop blaming the market, the broker, or the prop firm. Look at yourself honestly. Understand your weaknesses. Build a strategy that works with your personality, not against it. And most importantly: prove to yourself that you can do it. That first payout isn't just money – it's the proof of concept that changes everything.

Final Thoughts

Zamco's story isn't a fairy tale. It's a brutal, honest look at what it takes to succeed in prop firm trading. Six years of losses. A transformative life event. Extreme risk tolerance. Physical and mental sacrifice. And a willingness to play the game better than anyone else.

The $1.3 million in payouts is impressive. But the real lesson is simpler: external success requires internal change. Strategy matters. Risk management matters. But without the psychological foundation, none of it works. Zamco didn't crack the prop firm game with a secret indicator. He cracked it by finally understanding himself.

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