Short Iron Condor
Description
Selling a put spread below the market and a call spread above it, collecting a net credit that is kept in full if the underlying stays between the two short strikes.
Setup
- Sell a put spread: sell a put closer to the money, buy a put further out for protection.
- Sell a call spread: sell a call closer to the money, buy a call further out for protection, same expiry.
Context
One of the most widely used income strategies: a defined-risk bet that the underlying stays within a range through expiry.
Risk Profile
Maximum gain is the net credit received, anywhere between the two short strikes. Maximum loss is the width of either spread minus that credit.
Pros
- Collects a credit up front.
- Defined, capped risk on both sides.
- Wide profit range compared to a short straddle or short iron butterfly.
Cons
- Maximum gain is modest relative to the capital or margin required.
- Four legs means more trading fees and more to manage.
Effect of Time
Time decay favors the position as expiry nears, so long as the underlying stays between the two short strikes.
Effect of Volatility
A drop in implied volatility helps the position; a rise hurts it, since it raises the odds of a move outside the range.
Compared with
Look-Alike Strategies
Live Structure
| Position? | Right? | Ratio | Strike | Expiry | IV? | Premium? | Fill Price? | Liquidity? | Est. Fee? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long | Put | 1 | $73000.0000 | 20 Nov 2026 | 40.0% | $1143.8404 | $1162.5919 | 2.1000 | $22.5018 |
| Short | Put | 1 | $74000.0000 | 20 Nov 2026 | 39.2% | $1500.1186 | $1462.6156 | 115.3000 | $22.5018 |
| Short | Call | 1 | $76000.0000 | 20 Nov 2026 | 38.2% | $1500.1186 | $1462.6156 | 8.5000 | $22.5018 |
| Long | Call | 1 | $77000.0000 | 20 Nov 2026 | 37.9% | $1106.3375 | $1125.0889 | 24.1000 | $22.5018 |
Net cost, breakevens, the payoff chart and the scenario table are after costs: every leg filled by crossing the spread, estimated fees included -- the same numbers the Scanner ranks by.
Estimated Cost to Assemble
An estimate of what entering this structure right now would really cost: filling every leg by crossing the spread (the ask when buying, the bid when selling) instead of at the mid-price, plus an estimated exchange fee. Real fees and fills can differ from this estimate.
Compare venues
These exact contracts -- same strikes, expiries and ratios -- on every venue BOSS tracks for this currency, at execution: what selling (bid) or buying (ask) each leg there comes to, after that venue's own fee. Green marks the best venue for each leg and for the whole structure.
| Deribit this page | Bybit | OKX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Index? | $74881.7500 | $74973.4017 | $74883.0000 |
| Mid-Price Cost | -$750.0593 | -$725.0000 | -$750.1366 |
| Slippage? | +$112.5089 | +$10.0000 | +$75.0137 |
| Estimated Fees? | +$90.0071 | +$90.1723 | +$90.0164 |
| Total Estimated Cost | -$547.5433 | -$624.8277$77.2800 better than this page | -$585.1066$37.5600 better than this page |
| Max Profit? | $547.5433 | $624.8277 | $585.1066 |
| Max Loss? | -$452.4567 | -$375.1723 | -$414.8934 |
| Breakeven(s)? | $73452.4567, $76547.5433 | $73375.1723, $76624.8277 | $73414.8934, $76585.1066 |
| Structure IV? | 38.8% | 38.5% | 38.6% |
| Open on this venue → | Open on this venue → |
Each leg: what it nets there per contract (fill price with the fee folded in), then the fill price, fee, IV and the size quoted at that price.
For comparing prices, not a recommendation: quotes move by the second, size is only what's shown at the top of the book, fees are each venue's published estimate, and the venues settle against different indexes and margin separately.
Market Context
This expiry as the Dashboard sees it: how the legs are priced against at-the-money and realized volatility, and where the expiry's forward sits against spot.
Volatility Smile?
Implied volatility across strikes at this expiry; the marked lines are this structure's strikes. Buying on the high part of the curve pays up for volatility; selling there collects it.
Leg bought Leg sold
Payoff & Greeks vs. Underlying Price
The Greeks curves are a Black-Scholes model using each leg's current implied volatility, holding time to expiry fixed -- not live exchange data at every price, which only exists at the current price (dashed line).
Payoff at Expiration
After costs At mid price
This structure's value and profit/loss at expiration, at a handful of specific prices: every leg's strike, every breakeven, the current spot, and the chart's own range.
| Underlying Price | Value at Expiration | Profit / Loss | Return on Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| $69000.0000 | -$1000.0000 | -$452.4567 | -82.6% |
| $73000.0000 | -$1000.0000 | -$452.4567 | -82.6% |
| $73452.4567 breakeven | -$547.5433 | $0.0000 | +0.0% |
| $74000.0000 | $0.0000 | $547.5433 | +100.0% |
| $75005.9800 current | $0.0000 | $547.5433 | +100.0% |
| $76000.0000 | $0.0000 | $547.5433 | +100.0% |
| $76547.5433 breakeven | -$547.5433 | $0.0000 | +0.0% |
| $77000.0000 | -$1000.0000 | -$452.4567 | -82.6% |
| $81000.0000 | -$1000.0000 | -$452.4567 | -82.6% |
Delta (model)?
Gamma (model)?
Vega (model)?
Theta (model)?
Rho (model)?
Alternatives
From the Scanner's latest pass (21:31:48 UTC), priced at execution like everything above.
Same payoff through other strategies
| Strategy | Market | vs. this one | Credit/Debit | Max Profit? | Max Loss? | Prob. of Profit? | Max Profit / Max Loss? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Put Condor73000/74000/76000/77000 | Bybit · BTC | $72.3019 | $380.1548 | $619.8452 | -$380.1548 | 26% | 1.63× |
| Long Call Condor73000/74000/76000/77000 | Bybit · BTC | $57.3019 | $395.1548 | $604.8452 | -$395.1548 | 26% | 1.53× |
| Long Put Condor73000/74000/76000/77000 | OKX · BTC | $24.8988 | $427.5579 | $572.4421 | -$427.5579 | 25% | 1.34× |
Other strikes and widths of this strategy
| Strategy | Market | vs. this one | Credit/Debit | Max Profit? | Max Loss? | Prob. of Profit? | Max Profit / Max Loss? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Iron Condor67000/70000/78000/81000 | Deribit · BTC | — | -$622.5063 | $622.5063 | -$2377.4937 | 65% | 0.26× |
| Short Iron Condor68000/71000/79000/82000 | Deribit · BTC | — | -$555.0039 | $555.0039 | -$2444.9961 | 65% | 0.23× |
| Short Iron Condor66000/69000/77000/80000 | Deribit · BTC | — | -$736.8802 | $736.8802 | -$2263.1198 | 64% | 0.33× |