The ICT Turtle Soup Strategy is a liquidity-based reversal and continuation model inspired by ICT, Inner Circle Trader, concepts. The core idea is that time-based liquidity levels, such as session highs and lows, previous day highs and lows, and New Week Opening Gaps, act as magnets for price. When these levels are swept, the market frequently reverses, creating high-probability entry opportunities in the opposite direction. The strategy is traded on the 5-minute chart, primarily on NQ or ES during the New York AM session after 9:30 AM.
Rather than forcing trades, the model requires patience: first identify where price is most likely heading next, then wait for a liquidity sweep and a structural confirmation before entering. Two distinct entry triggers are defined: a CISD retest for reversal setups, and an FVG retest for continuation setups, each with its own checklist and risk parameters. The strategy is flexible enough to be tested on other assets and sessions, making it a useful framework beyond its primary NQ/ES application.
How the strategy works
Key concepts
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Entry triggers
Two distinct entry setups apply depending on whether bias is reversal or continuation.
Trigger #1: CISD Retest, Reversal
- Wait for a TBL sweep, Asia or London high or low.
- Bias shifts to reversal.
- Wait for a CISD candle to form.
- Enter on the CISD retest with limit order.
- Stop loss at the recent high or low.
- Target opposing liquidity, 1.5R or more.
Trigger #2: FVG Retest, Continuation
- Identify the likely next draw on liquidity.
- Price has already started a reversal.
- Look for an FVG to form on the retracement.
- Enter on the FVG retest with limit order.
- Stop loss at the high or low of the FVG candle.
- Target fixed 2R.
Trade checklists
CISD Retest
- Time-based liquidity sweep confirmed, with Asia or London session high or low taken out.
- Reversal bias established based on the sweep direction and premium/discount context.
- Limit entry placed on the CISD retest.
- Target opposing liquidity for 1.5R or more.
FVG Retest
- Next draw on liquidity identified after price has already begun its reversal.
- A valid FVG has formed. Use the first FVG in a series unless highly confident in a more recent one immediately after open.
- Limit entry on FVG retest.
- Stop loss at the high or low of the candle that created the FVG.
- Fixed 2R take profit.
No trade management. Let trades run to the stop or take profit. Cancel limit orders if the target is hit before entry. If any parameters are missing, trade quality is reduced. Aim for A+ setups only.
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