There’s no honest fixed number — 0DTE scalping returns are volatile, hard-won, and most traders lose money. Here’s a realistic, no-hype look at what scalping 0DTE can and can’t do (see also realistic options returns).

The honest reality

Anyone promising a specific return (“$500/day,” “10% a week”) is selling something. Real trading returns are volatile — winning and losing days, drawdowns, and long stretches of just getting better. Your results depend on your skill, discipline, account size, and the market — none of which anyone can promise. The majority of active traders lose money, and 0DTE’s leverage makes both outcomes bigger.

What actually determines it

Your realistic potential is a function of a positive expectancy compounded over many trades, scaled by your account and risk per trade. A small account with a real edge grows slowly; a large one with the same edge earns more in dollars. There’s no shortcut — the number follows from skill and size, and it comes with drawdowns.

How much can you make? Honestly: unknown, volatile, and for most people, negative until they build real skill. Anyone who quotes you a number is guessing or lying.

The no-hype takeaway

Focus on process and survival, not a target number: build a positive expectancy, preserve capital, and let consistency compound. NoVo makes no return promises — it’s a tool to execute your edge with discipline, not a money printer. Set realistic expectations and the results, if they come, come from doing it right.