How TG Capital Quit a Six-Figure Union Job and Made Six Figures in Four Weeks as a Qualified Trader
TG Capital

TL;DR: Tyler (TG Capital) left a six-figure union job after making six figures in four weeks through prop firm trading. He refined an ICT fair value gap strategy over a year of backtesting, passed every evaluation he entered without failing, and earned his first $20,000 performance fee before quitting. He has since made six figures in consecutive months, relocated to Miami, and became one of the first traders invited to Alpha Prime, the live trading programme inside the Alpha Group.

Watch the full interview on YouTube

From the union to the charts

Tyler was working in the elevator union in New York, earning six figures a year, when he found trading during COVID. Like most people, the entry point was YouTube. He saw a trader make $100,000 on a forex screen and went down the rabbit hole.

The early days were what they usually are. He was full-margining accounts on RSI signals with no real edge. Rent was late. His girlfriend at the time was covering it. He maxed every credit card he had, including Amex, Bank of America, Citibank, and Chase, putting $20,000 onto them to fund prop firm evaluations, what the industry commonly calls funded trading challenges. He passed every single one without failing.

"My first big performance fee I hit for $20,000. I paid all my credit cards off and quit my job."

His boss was his future father-in-law. He quit anyway.

The year nobody saw

Before the credit card moment, there was a year of silence. Tyler stopped buying evaluations completely and focused on backtesting. That is when ICT found him.

"The man changed the way I look at the markets forever. Once you see it, you can't unsee it."

He did not try to learn every ICT concept. He found two: fair value gaps and inverted fair value gaps. Everything else, he ignored.

"Are you good at trading order blocks or are you good at trading fair value gaps? It comes natural to you. You'll know."

He used FX Replay and TradingView to build a dataset over a year. He ran the same setups over and over until the edge was statistical, not emotional. When he felt ready, that was when he pulled the credit cards out.

Six figures in four weeks

Once Tyler had the edge, the results moved fast. He passed every evaluation he entered. His first $20,000 performance fee cleared his debt. He moved from New York to Miami. His first month there he made six figures. The month after that, another six figures.

"I made six figures in four weeks. It was like, holy cow."

He had been making $1,000 a week in the union. The scale of the change happened in one quarter.

How he actually trades

Tyler's system is built around patience and time-of-day specificity. On futures, he has three playbook entries:

• A London session setup around 3:00 AM, looking for a London move with a New York continuation
• A 9:30 AM reversal trade when he sees structure setting up at the open
• A session window that closes at 12:00 PM New York time, no exceptions

"After New York lunch the market gets weird. The volume's drying up. I close everything by 12."

He only takes A+ setups. If the setup is not screaming at him from the chart, he goes back to sleep. He can go two weeks without placing a trade.

"Most people will lose their minds and burn the account. You need to find what works for you."

His risk is deliberately small. Three to five micros on NQ, one mini or micros on gold. He has a large buffer in his accounts now and does not increase size because of it.

"I could risk huge. I don't. Keep the risk small."

His best trade illustrates the approach. He risked $1,000, held the position for a month through drawdowns and liquidity wicks he recognised from backtesting, and closed at $51,000. A 1:51 risk-to-reward ratio built on data, not on a feeling.

"I wouldn't know to hold it if I didn't have the data on it."

Moving from CFD to futures

Tyler had built his edge on higher time frame CFD trading. The transition to futures required one main adjustment: no swing trades overnight. Futures positions close at 4 PM.

"The only thing I changed is that instead of taking my entry on the 30-minute, I take it on the 15. I look for a London setup for a New York continuation. I close all trades by 12 PM."

The core edge stayed the same. Fair value gaps, momentum, trend following. He adapted the execution window and built two additional playbook entries from backtesting in the futures environment.

"It didn't take me very long at all because I already had the base."

Alpha Prime: the next level

Tyler is one of the first traders selected for Alpha Prime, the professional trading programme inside the Alpha Group for Qualified Traders who have demonstrated consistent edge across their simulated evaluations.

"When Alpha Capital told me they were going to put my application in for Alpha Prime, I was all in. And then the CEO reached out to me personally and I was just shocked."

Alpha Prime operates differently to standard prop evaluations. The only rule Tyler mentions is a daily loss limit. He can swing trade, which he was unable to do on futures. He works closely with James on the team daily, covering fundamentals and sentiment to complement his technical approach.

"Alpha Prime is my number one focus. The first thing I open every morning is my CQG account."

His goal is to scale the Alpha Prime account to seven figures.

He also makes a point that shifts how most traders think about the prop model.

"For the firm and the trader to be on a mutual standpoint, you have to be in a live account. In the simulated prop space, when you get those big performance fees, the firm is not extremely happy because you're drying up their liquidity. Alpha Capital and Alpha Futures, when they see you're profitable, they call you up to the big leagues. Name another firm doing that."

Alpha Prime, in his view, is where the model actually becomes collaborative. Both sides benefit from the same outcome.

What he tells traders who want to get there

Tyler is direct on this.

"Focus on your system. Have a statistical edge. Do not be churning through accounts. Focus on consistency and you will get the call when the time is right."

He is also specific about time frames. He has never been able to trade the one-minute or five-minute charts. He does not pretend otherwise.

"You need to be honest and realistic with yourself. If you're burning accounts on the 15-minute, maybe you're not a lower time frame trader. That's not a failure. That's information."

On building confidence in your edge:

"The data allows you to have more confidence. The reps allow you to have more confidence. If you're not emotional when you trade it's because you have the data. If you are emotional, it's because you don't trust your edge. That's the only reason."

FAQs

What is TG Capital's trading strategy?

Tyler uses ICT fair value gaps and inverted fair value gaps on higher time frames (30-minute and above for CFDs, 15-minute for futures). He identifies three playbook setups: a London session entry, a New York continuation trade, and a 9:30 AM reversal. He only takes A+ setups and closes all positions by 12:00 PM New York time.

How did TG Capital make six figures in four weeks?

Tyler spent a year backtesting and building a statistical edge before purchasing evaluations (prop firm challenges). He maxed $20,000 across four credit cards to enter multiple evaluations simultaneously, passed every single one, earned a $20,000 performance fee on his first major cycle, paid off his debt, quit his job, and made six figures in his first full month of trading in Miami.

What is Alpha Prime and how do you get selected?

Alpha Prime is the professional trading programme inside the Alpha Group for traders who have demonstrated consistent, verified edge across simulated prop evaluations. Selection is based on consistent performance over time, not one large performance fee. Alpha Prime operates with fewer restrictions than standard simulated evaluations and is designed for traders ready to operate at a professional level.

What is a futures prop firm evaluation?

A futures prop firm evaluation (also called a futures prop firm challenge in the wider trading community) is a structured process where traders prove a consistent edge on a simulated futures account before becoming a Qualified Trader. Rules typically include profit targets, drawdown limits, minimum trading days, and consistency requirements.

How long does it take to become a Qualified Futures Trader?

It depends on the evaluation you choose and how you trade. Tyler adapted his CFD edge to futures quickly because the core strategy was already tested. The minimum trading day requirement on Alpha Futures Premium is two days. Most traders take longer due to consistency requirements. Read the full rules in the Alpha Futures help centre.

Ready to start your Alpha Futures evaluation?

Tyler's story is not typical. His results are not a forecast for you. What is replicable is the process: build the edge before you buy the evaluation, trade your strengths, and be honest about your weaknesses.

Start your Alpha Futures evaluation today

Alpha Futures is a proprietary trading firm based in the United Kingdom. All accounts operate in a simulated trading environment with simulated funds unless a specific product states otherwise. Performance fees are based on eligible simulated trading results and outcomes are not guaranteed. Trader results described in this interview reflect individual experiences and are not forecasts or guarantees for future traders. Always confirm live rules, eligibility, and pricing on alphafutures.com and help.alpha-futures.com.