I Was the Algorithm Before Algorithms Then I Had to Start Over · Scott Pulcini

Scott Pulcini built his career in the old futures pit-and-screen world, starting as a Chicago Board of Trade clerk and then moving into electronic trading at Kingstree Trading. He describes an early era when wide spreads, visible size, and known counterparties let a fast scalper trade aggressively, but that edge disappeared as markets became dominated by algos and spoofing-style behavior. He says his earlier intuition and tape-reading skills eventually stopped working and forced him to evolve or get pushed out.

Pulcini argues that the modern edge is not guessing the market but identifying where real size and volatility are concentrated. He leans on CME MBO data, Bookmap, iceberg detection, stop-run signals, relative volume, and ATR to decide when to enter, how much to risk, and whether a move has enough force to continue. He says volume and volatility are the two biggest drivers of markets, and that traders should not rely on static stops or one-size-fits-all setups when the market regime changes.

The conversation also centers on discipline and survival. Pulcini says traders need hard loss limits, because tilt can destroy an account in minutes, and he openly recounts several blowout days where rage and overconfidence led to catastrophic losses. His main message is that traders must adapt, trade like an algorithm, and stop treating discomfort as a signal to skip valid setups.