Rule: Wait until at least 9:36 preferably 9:40 to start trading.

• Waiting 5 to 10 minutes is one of my most important rules in trading the open. The entire reason the profession is called "Pattern Day Trading" is the need for patterns to form, the pattern is my edge . Therefore I must wait on a pattern to form before any trade. At a minimum 5 minutes can form a pattern, but I find it better to wait at closer to 10 minutes for intermediate traders and longer for beginners.

• The longer I wait the more decisive the patterns that form, up to a point. Also the longer I wait the calmer and more predictable the stock will become, up to a point.