How to Use Bracket Orders in Tradovate

Set a target and stop automatically on every entry so you are not naked in the market clicking stops in after the fact.

What a Bracket Order Is

A bracket order in Tradovate is an entry order that automatically drops in a take-profit and a stop-loss when you get filled. One entry, two exits:

  • Target above (for longs) or below (for shorts).
  • Stop on the other side, capping your loss.

It is just a preset combo built on top of the basic order types you already saw in How to Place Orders in Tradovate .

Why You Should Use Them

Brackets solve three problems at once:

  • You always have a stop in the market.
  • You do not have to drag a target in after the trade is live.
  • You remove a lot of panic clicking when price moves fast.

If you trade prop firm evaluations with tight trailing drawdown like the ones in Trailing Drawdown Explained , brackets help keep your size and exits under control.

Setting Up a Bracket Template in Tradovate

  1. Open Tradovate and go to the chart or DOM you actually use.
  2. Find the order presets or bracket settings panel (Order Templates).
  3. Choose a basic entry type: market, limit, or stop.
  4. Set a default stop distance (for example, 5 or 10 ticks).
  5. Set a default target distance (for example, 10 or 20 ticks).
  6. Save this as a named template so you can re-use it.

The exact clicks depend on your layout, but the logic is simple: entry order plus a linked stop and target that move with it. Combine that with a clean workspace like in Simple, Readable Chart Layout so you can see everything at a glance.

Using Brackets From the Chart

Once the template is saved:

  • Select your bracket template in the chart’s order panel.
  • Click to place your entry as you normally would (limit, market, or stop).
  • When the entry fills, your stop and target appear automatically on the chart.
  • Drag the stop or target lines if you want to fine tune them.

This lines up directly with how you manage entries in DOM Trading Basics if you prefer the ladder instead of the chart.

Basic Bracket Sizing for Small Accounts

Brackets do not magically fix bad risk, they just enforce it. You still have to pick the right size. A simple approach:

  • Decide how much you are willing to lose per trade (in dollars).
  • Divide that by your stop size in ticks and the tick value.
  • Round down to a contract size that fits.

That is the same logic you should already be using from Risk Per Trade for Small Accounts .

Bracket Orders and Evaluation Rules

For prop firm challenges, brackets can keep you from accidentally running trades without stops, but they do not override the rules. You can still:

  • Hit trailing drawdown if your stop is too wide.
  • Break daily loss limits with too much size.
  • Scale too fast and get clipped by rules.

Use brackets alongside a basic understanding of the evaluation structure in How Prop Firm Evaluations Work .

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