One Prop Trader a Day – Florian Lukaschek: I Built My Entire Trading System Around My Weakness

One Prop Trader a Day – Episode 116

How do you keep executing a strategy that loses roughly two trades out of every three? Florian Lukaschek, 20 and from Austria, started at 14, blew 20 to 25 funded accounts before he found his edge in futures, and now runs a checklist so strict that there is almost nothing left for him to decide. In this interview, he explains the seven stop losses he took in a row on 17 July without changing anything, the order flow tools he reads off the tape, and why being accepted into a live account program he is not allowed to trade is still his proudest moment.

My name is Florian, I’m 20 years old, and I’m from Austria. I’ve been trading for nearly six years and primarily focus on highly liquid futures markets, with the Nasdaq futures (NQ) being my main instrument. I specialize in intraday trading and scalping, and I rely on a rules-based approach built around order flow, market structure and risk management.

My journey started when I was 14 years old, and after approximately four and a half years, at the age of 18, I passed my first funded account. At the time I was still at school, so I had to balance my education with trading every day. Managing both at the same time was probably one of the biggest challenges of my entire trading journey, but it also taught me discipline, consistency and time management.

On what I first bought with trading money, I’d prefer not to answer this question, as it’s a bit too personal for my taste. For me the important part wasn’t what I bought, it was the feeling of realizing that my hard work was finally paying off. That moment gave me the confidence that trading could become much more than just a hobby.

During those nearly six years I blew around 20 to 25 funded accounts. That may sound like a lot, especially considering I started with CFD prop firms like FTMO. Fortunately, I quickly realized that my real edge is in the futures market, where my trading style fits much better. What kept me coming back was my passion for trading and my belief that I could become consistently profitable. Every failed account taught me something new, and instead of giving up, I used those lessons to refine my strategy, improve my discipline and become a better trader.

Trading completely changed my mindset. Early on I struggled with FOMO, stress and constant self-doubt. I questioned both myself and my strategy after every losing trade. Looking back, that mental pressure was probably the biggest reason I blew most of my accounts. Learning to manage my emotions became just as important as learning to read the market. Even today I still notice that FOMO can come from time to time when I trade live on the markets.

My strategy is almost completely rule-based and driven by objective data and numbers. Every trade has to meet a predefined checklist, so there is very little space for emotions or impulsive decisions. At that point my job is simply to trust the process and press the buy or sell button. That structure has helped me become far more disciplined and consistent with my edge.

I first traded with FTMO before switching to Apex Trader Funding and Lucid Trading. When choosing a prop firm now, I mainly look for firms that support futures trading and offer an end-of-day (EOD) drawdown model. I also value transparent rules, reliable payouts, and a trading environment that allows me to execute my strategy without unnecessary restrictions.

As mentioned before, I primarily trade the Nasdaq futures, as it’s one of the most liquid markets in the world. My trading style is purely intraday, and I mainly focus on the New York session, where volume and volatility are at their highest. My edge is built around order flow and market structure that can be read on volume profiles. Intraday I analyse delta flow, gamma exposure, volume and volatility with tools such as Big Trades, an indicator based on the Times and Sales that filters out big market participants, or Speed of Tape, an indicator based on momentum and net delta change. Over the past six years I’ve developed a highly systematic strategy that relies on objective data and predefined rules. Normally I take between 8 and 12 trades a day, because I work with a high risk to reward system.

My typical day is normally preplanned and very structured. I start with preparing my market profiling at 3pm UTC+2. Before that I usually have meetings, backtest or go to the gym, depending on the day. I usually trade from 3pm to 6pm, because volatility is highest at the New York market open.

My most recent losing streak was on July 17th. I followed my trading plan exactly as I had designed it, and every trade met my entry criteria. The downside of trading a high risk-to-reward strategy is that, statistically, you have to accept periods with multiple consecutive losses. My strategy has a win rate of around 32 percent with a positive expectancy of 1.08.

On that day I hit seven stop losses in a row. While it was frustrating, I didn’t change my strategy or start taking random trades to recover the losses. Looking back, I wouldn’t change the trades themselves, because they were executed according to my plan.

My biggest milestone so far was being accepted into the Lucid Trading Live Account Program. It was a very special moment for me, because it felt like all the years of hard work, setbacks and persistence had finally been recognized. I was genuinely excited and proud of myself, as it showed that I had reached a level where I could qualify for a live funded account. Unfortunately, due to the current tax regulations in my country, I’m not able to trade live funded accounts. While that was disappointing, I didn’t let it discourage me. For me that milestone wasn’t just about the opportunity itself, it was proof that I had developed into a trader capable of competing at a high level.

Most people around me know that I’m a trader, but they don’t fully understand what I do on a day-to-day basis, and that’s completely understandable. Trading is one of the most competitive and challenging fields in finance, and it’s difficult to grasp unless you’ve experienced it yourself. When I first started trading, I didn’t even think it could become my full-time career one day. At the time I treated it more like a hobby and a skill I wanted to learn, so the people around me didn’t pay much attention to it. That changed after I received my first payout. It was the first tangible proof that all the time and effort I had invested were leading somewhere. Since then, my family and friends have become much more supportive. Even if they don’t fully understand my strategy or the technical side of trading, they understand the dedication it takes and how much work I’ve put into getting where I am today. One person who has supported me from the very beginning is my mom. Even when she didn’t fully understand trading herself, she always believed in me and encouraged me to keep going. She stood by me through the setbacks and never stopped supporting my dream. Looking back, I honestly don’t think I would be where I am today without her.

I think the biggest difference between me and someone who quit after their third failed challenge is that I approach trading from a statistical perspective rather than an emotional one. Many traders who fail their evaluations are still trying to predict what the market will do next. Instead, I focus on executing a strategy with a proven positive expectancy. My entire trading system is built around objective data and numbers. Every setup has to meet strict criteria before I take it, leaving very little space for subjective decisions. I know my average win rate, my risk-to-reward ratio, my expectancy and the probabilities behind my strategy.

If someone gave me a 1,000,000 dollar funded account today, honestly, I wouldn’t change much. I would trade the exact same strategy and follow the exact same rules that I use today. The only difference would be my position sizing, possibly switching to full contract size because I currently work with MNQ contracts, and my risk, which I would adjust appropriately for the larger account.

Verified funded – the receipts