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I had originally subscribed to CML, but I recently dropped my subscription after using it less and less. For me, it just wasn't a match for my trading style. It was a fine tool for backtesting different options strategies based on historical stock price movement, or lack thereof. However, trade entry and exit were based on dates and gain/loss thresholds. So much of the SO-style trades are based on determining good entry points based on IV and earnings history and how prior cycles compare to one other. Even the SO index trades (VIX, SPX, RUT) factor market volatility in trade entry/exit decisions. You couldn't use CML to base trade entry on volatility based triggers. For the SO-style trades, having the RV analysis tools (volatilityHQ, artoftrading) are by far the most important. Being able to easily & quickly generate RV charts for calendars and straddles, IV charts and earnings history is the most important thing. Going back a couple of years, it was so much more difficult to do this analysis than it is now. IMO, if you are looking for a tool to help with you SO-style trades then CML is certainly not a "must have" - the RV tools are so much more useful for them. If you are looking to make other types of trades based on past history of stock price movement then you may find CML useful.

I would agree with the above. I had many successes last quarter of 2017 but more 50/50 in 2018. So I've lost some of my zeal for Pre Earnings Momentum trades. And I've been focusing more on non-directional trading -- which is SO's prime directive. Absolutely no gag-order.

This post ? https://steadyoptions.com/forums/forum/topic/4072-cml-trademachine-trade-ideas/?do=findComment&comment=98547 You can get the link by clicking on the top right of the post :

The best gag order is making a few losses in a row :-) My success with the first 100 CML trades is documented on page 32 (I wish I knew how to link a post - someone? help?). The next 50 trades didn't fare so well - for the same reasons posters have already mentioned above. Plus, I have been going hell-for-leather on the straddles/calender's, doing these like they are going out of fashion, literally trading 6-7 hours a day. I am still a CML subscriber, and will start trading it's ideas again in a week or so. CML trades can be a little 'shallow' (minimal thought required, no real fine-tuning at entry points, nor at exit, a monkey with typing skills could do them) but I feel that if they were combined with some discretionary trading then maybe the results would be better. Update : trying to link post :

I think the strategies that worked in momentum market we had past year and a half stopped working.. Most of the trades backtested for success where since 2016 lows it seems..