Scott Pulcini started on the Chicago Board of Trade floor before transitioning to screen-based trading, learning to process information under extreme pressure to become one of the biggest E-mini S&P scalpers in the world. At his peak, he traded massive size at Kingstree Trading, turning his intuitive edge into $10 million in a single year.
As algorithmic trading took over and market dynamics shifted, Scott had to evolve. Today, his edge is built on 25+ years of experience and order-flow tools, using CME MBO data and Bookmap to examine activity beyond a conventional price chart to guide his decisions while volume and volatility give him the confidence to take the trade.
In this conversation, Scott pulls back the curtain on his incredible resilience and career arc, sharing the specific realities of trading massive size and adapting to an algorithmic world. He breaks down the fundamentals of his volume-based strategy, the harsh lessons of trading on tilt, and how he transitioned from pure intuition to teaching retail traders through his Order Flow Room.
In this episode, we explore:
• How Scott made $10 million in 2003 day trading S&P E-mini futures
• Scott’s transition from the Chicago trading floor to screen-based trading
• How he survived changing market conditions and algorithmic takeovers
• The mechanics behind using Bookmap and CME MBO data to find an edge
• Why it’s important to learn how to read volume and volatility
• Why confidence to size up requires turning off your PnL
• How Scott identifies institutional iceberg orders and retail stop runs
About Scott Pulcini:
Scott is a professional futures trader with over 20 years of experience, famously featured in the book Enhancing Trader Performance by Dr. Brett Steenbarger. Scott traded S&P E-mini futures at Kingstree Trading in Chicago. Today, he teaches retail traders through live analysis, recorded courses, and private mentoring at Scottpulcinitrader.com and as an Instructor at the Scott Pulcini Trader Order Flow Room.
Links + Resources:
Website: https://scottpulcinitrader.com
X (Twitter): https://x.com/scottpulcini
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Time Stamps:
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00:00 I Was The Algorithm Before Algorithms
05:29 Transitioning To Electronic Trading And Finding An Edge
08:54 There Was No Spoofing In My Time
13:06 How Important Is It To Adapt To New Markets?
16:28 The Two Biggest Things That Drive Markets Are Volume And Volatility
19:35 Are People's Stops Being Hunted?
24:30 How Options Flow Manipulates The Futures Market
27:23 What’s Your Confirmation When Entering A Trade?
30:37 Value In Reading The Book Outside CME Data?
32:18 Do You Have A Max Loss?
38:13 What Tilts You These Days?
43:47 Turning Off Your Pnl And Trusting The Process
45:12 Walk Us Through A Trade
50:04 Consistent Risk Or Swing On An A+ Setup?
55:51 Legal Manipulation In Trading?
59:54 What’s Your Advice For Traders?
01:03:26 Does This Edge Apply To Every Market?
01:04:32 What Separates You From Other Traders?
01:06:48 Where To See Scott Pulcini
Trading Disclaimer:
Trading in the financial markets involves a risk of loss. Podcast episodes and other content produced by Chat With Traders are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute trading or investment recommendations or advice.
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