A $10K 2-step challenge with unlimited time, a 10% Phase 1 target, and a 5% maximum daily loss looks straightforward on paper. However, that 10% Phase 1 target is one of the steeper targets in the CFD prop space—and combined with a 10% max loss, it means your profit target EQUALS your entire loss budget. Consequently, there is zero room for undisciplined trading.
The good news? Unlimited trading days changes everything. With no clock ticking, the only way to fail is to beat yourself. Therefore, this article gives you the complete blueprint: the exact math, phase-by-phase risk structure, daily routine, and lot sizing at 1:40 leverage to take this account from Phase 1 to funded.
The Account Rules Decoded
First, translate the rules into actual dollar numbers, because percentages hide the reality:
| Rule | Percentage | Dollar Amount ($10K) | What It Really Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 target | 10% | $1,000 | Your Phase 1 mission |
| Phase 2 target | 5% | $500 | Half the work of Phase 1 |
| Max daily loss | 5% | $500 | Your daily survival line |
| Max loss | 10% | $1,000 | Your total budget — same size as the target |
| Trading period | Unlimited | — | Time can NEVER fail you |
| Min trading days | 2 | — | Trivial — don’t even think about it |
| Leverage | 1:40 | — | Moderate — controls oversizing for you |
The Critical Insight
Read that table again and notice the trap: your Phase 1 target ($1,000) equals your max loss ($1,000). In other words, the account demands you make 10% before you lose 10%. Consequently, a coin-flip approach fails here—you need a genuine edge with at least 1:2 RR, executed with strict risk control. The math below shows exactly how.
The Master Math: Your Path in Trades
Before day one, know your trade count. With 1% risk ($100) per trade at 1:2 RR:
| Scenario (Phase 1) | Wins | Losses | Net Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great run (60% WR) | 6 (+$1,200) | 4 (−$400) | +$800 in 10 trades |
| Normal run (50% WR) | 7 (+$1,400) | 7 (−$700) | +$700 in 14 trades |
| Grinding run (45% WR) | 9 (+$1,800) | 11 (−$1,100) | +$700 in 20 trades |
Consequently, Phase 1 is realistically a 10–20 trade project—at 1–2 trades per day, that’s 2–4 weeks. Meanwhile, Phase 2’s $500 target is only 5–8 trades. Anyone telling you to pass in 3 days is telling you to gamble.
Phase 1 Blueprint: The $1,000 Mission
Phase 1 carries the big target, so this is where your full risk model operates.
The Core Rules
- Risk per trade: 1% ($100), fixed, every single trade
- Minimum RR: 1:2 — one winner recovers two losers
- Trades per day: maximum 2–3
- Daily stop: 2 losses or −$250, whichever comes first
- Session: ONE window only — London open (12:30–14:30 IST) or the NY overlap (17:30–21:30 IST)
Why −$250 When the Daily Limit Is $500?
Because the daily loss limit is a cliff, not a target. Stopping at half the limit means even your worst day leaves the account fully alive, and moreover, it leaves YOU psychologically intact for tomorrow. Traders who flirt with the full 5% eventually find the day that takes them over it.
The Milestone Ladder
Protect progress as you build it:
| Account Progress | Behavior Change |
|---|---|
| $0 – $400 | Normal execution, 1% risk |
| $400 – $700 | Continue, but A/B+ setups only |
| $700 – $900 | Drop risk to 0.75% — protect the runway |
| $900 – $1,000 | Risk 0.5%, one trade per day — walk, don’t sprint |
| $1,000 ✅ | STOP. Phase 1 complete. Take 2 days off before Phase 2 |
For the complete structural philosophy behind this approach, the full 2-step framework is here: https://vizdumb.com/pass-2-step-challenge-fast-take-payout/
Lot Sizing at 1:40 Leverage (The Practical Part)
Since most traders blow accounts on position size, here’s the sizing math for $100 risk on common instruments:
| Instrument | Stop Size | Approx. Lot Size for $100 Risk |
|---|---|---|
| XAUUSD (Gold) | 30 pips ($3.00) | 0.30 lots |
| XAUUSD (Gold) | 50 pips ($5.00) | 0.20 lots |
| EURUSD | 20 pips | 0.50 lots |
| EURUSD | 30 pips | 0.33 lots |
| GBPUSD | 25 pips | 0.40 lots |
| US indices (per point) | Varies | Size so stop = $100, always |
The rule is universal: stop size determines lot size, never the reverse. Additionally, at 1:40 leverage on a $10K account, your maximum notional is capped—which conveniently prevents the revenge-sized positions that destroy challenges. Treat that constraint as a feature, not a limitation.
Phase 2 Blueprint: The $500 Cooldown
Phase 2 halves the target while keeping identical loss limits. Consequently, you need HALF the performance—so demand half the aggression from yourself.
The Phase 2 Rules
- Risk per trade: 0.5–0.75% ($50–$75)
- Setups: A+ only — skip anything you’d rate below 8/10
- Trades per day: maximum 2
- Daily stop: 1 loss = done for the day
- Target pace: $100–$150 per winning day → 4–6 green days total
The Phase 2 Trap
Here’s what kills Phase 2: momentum from passing Phase 1. You feel unstoppable, and consequently, you trade like it. However, remember—the max loss is still $1,000, while the target is now only $500. The math is friendlier than Phase 1’s, but only for the trader patient enough to accept it. Unlimited time means a 3-week Phase 2 is a perfectly professional outcome.
The Funded Phase: Extraction Mode
Once funded, the structure tightens rather than loosens:
- Risk per trade: 0.5% ($50) until your first payout is secured
- Mission: reach the minimum payout threshold — nothing more
- First payout: request at the first eligible moment, since it recovers fees and verifies the firm
- After 2–3 payout cycles: gradually normalize risk to 0.75–1%
- Forever rule: withdraw every eligible cycle — prop accounts are for extraction, not compounding
Furthermore, once payouts flow consistently, the scaling conversation begins—larger accounts, stacked accounts, and the road to serious withdrawals, mapped fully here: https://vizdumb.com/five-figure-payout-cfd-prop-firm-blueprint/
The Daily Operating Routine
Every trading day, all phases, identical structure:
- Pre-session (30 min): mark PDH/PDL, session levels, and check the news calendar
- Active window (2–3 hrs): execute pre-planned setups only — sweep, displacement, retrace
- Hit daily goal or daily stop: platform closed, no exceptions
- Post-session (10 min): journal trades, skipped setups, and rule compliance
- Rest of day: charts CLOSED — unlimited time means there is never a reason to force
If closing the platform is your weakness, fix it before buying the challenge: https://vizdumb.com/stop-fomo-trading-take-clean-setups/
The Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
- Use the unlimited time as your greatest weapon — patience is literally free
- Keep risk at 1% in Phase 1, and LOWER it as you approach targets
- Trade one session window and one or two instruments only
- Stop at −$250 daily, far from the $500 cliff
- Complete your 2 minimum trading days naturally — never think about them
Don’t:
- Attempt to pass Phase 1 in a week — the 10% target punishes speed
- Risk 2–3% to “get ahead early” — two red days would end everything
- Trade both London and NY because you’re behind pace — there is no pace
- Hold losers past your stop (the account’s math cannot absorb it): https://vizdumb.com/hold-losers-long-cut-winners-fast-trading-psychology/
- Change strategies between Phase 1 and Phase 2 — what passed, passes again
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this $10K challenge is a pure discipline test dressed as a trading test. The 10% target against a 10% loss budget means the account forgives nothing—yet the unlimited trading period means it also pressures nothing. Consequently, every failure in this challenge is self-inflicted, and every pass is genuinely earned.
Risk 1%, demand 1:2, stop at two losses, and protect every milestone on the ladder. Phase 1 in 2–4 weeks, Phase 2 in 1–3 weeks, and then extraction mode until the first payout lands.
The firm gave you unlimited time. Give yourself the discipline to use it—because the trader who refuses to rush this account is the trader who ends up funded by it.