18th Street Trading Video Review: Payouts From Phase 1, Rules and Progression Explained

A trader considering any futures proprietary trading firm should understand the structure before placing the first trade.

What does it cost?

What are the risk rules?

When does a payout become available?

What happens after qualification?

And ultimately, does the process lead anywhere beyond another simulated account?

A new video review of 18th Street Trading takes traders through those questions and examines the firm’s current Funded Futures model in detail.

The review, titled “18th Street Trading Futures Prop Firm Review | Payout From Phase 1 | Full Rules Explained,” focuses on one of the most important distinctions in the 18th Street structure:

Traders can become eligible for a payout beginning with Phase 1.

That is not a side feature of the model.

It is central to how 18th Street Trading defines progression.

A Different Approach to Futures Prop Trading

Most futures prop traders are familiar with the traditional evaluation model.

The trader purchases an evaluation.

The trader attempts to meet the target.

If successful, they move into another stage where payout eligibility may eventually begin.

18th Street Trading approaches the sequence differently.

The current model is built around four simulated phases:

Phase 1 — Trader Candidate

Phase 2 — Qualified Trader

Phase 3 — Professional Trader

Phase 4 — Institutional Trader

Every trader begins at Phase 1, regardless of whether they select the $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, or $150,000 plan.

Each phase uses the same underlying standard:

9% profit target

5% trailing loss

25% consistency requirement

And each successfully completed phase carries its own fixed payout.

The firm describes that progression simply:

Performance → Payout → Progression → Live Capital.

That structure is one of the primary subjects covered in the new video review.

Payouts Begin With Phase 1

One of the most important questions traders ask when evaluating a prop firm is:

When can I actually get paid?

At 18th Street, traders do not have to complete all four qualification phases before a payout becomes available.

The first payout follows successful completion of Phase 1.

Current Phase 1 payouts are:

$500 on the $25,000 plan

$1,000 on the $50,000 plan

$2,000 on the $100,000 plan

$3,000 on the $150,000 plan

That first payout is followed by additional fixed payouts after Phases 2, 3, and 4.

Across the entire simulated progression, total potential fixed phase payouts are:

$3,500 on the $25,000 plan

$7,000 on the $50,000 plan

$14,000 on the $100,000 plan

$21,000 on the $150,000 plan

The amounts are fixed.

Profit beyond the required target does not increase the phase payout.

The purpose of the phase is to demonstrate the standard, complete the requirements, receive the associated payout, and progress.

The Rules Are the Same at Every Plan Size

One of the ideas behind the 18th Street model is that the account size should change the scale of the opportunity, not the standard required to advance.

A trader on the $25,000 plan is measured against the same percentage-based requirements as a trader on the $150,000 plan.

That means each simulated phase uses the same:

9% profit target

5% end-of-day trailing maximum loss

25% consistency requirement

60-day maximum per phase

There is also no separate daily loss limit.

That does not mean risk is unlimited.

It means the trader is responsible for managing the account within the published trailing-loss boundary rather than operating under an additional daily-loss restriction.

This is one of the reasons traders should read the complete rules before purchasing any futures prop plan.

A headline account size tells very little about how the account must actually be traded.

The mechanics matter.

Understanding the 25% Consistency Requirement

The consistency requirement is another important part of the structure.

At 18th Street Trading, a trader’s best trading day cannot represent more than 25% of total accumulated profit for the phase.

The calculation is:

Best Trading Day ÷ Total Profit

If the ratio is above 25%, the account is not breached.

The trader simply continues trading until total profit grows enough to bring the ratio within the requirement.

This distinction is important because the rule is not designed to penalize a trader for having an exceptional session.

It is designed to ensure that one session does not constitute the entire professional record.

That aligns with one of 18th Street’s core principles:

Consistency over aggression.

The firm is not attempting to identify the trader who can produce the largest isolated result.

It is attempting to identify the trader who can repeatedly demonstrate the same standard.

The EOD Trailing Loss

Every simulated phase also uses a 5% end-of-day trailing maximum loss.

That trailing threshold advances based on qualifying end-of-day performance and eventually locks at the starting account balance once the required condition has been met.

This matters because an end-of-day trailing drawdown operates differently from an intraday trailing structure.

The threshold is not continually recalculated around temporary intraday equity highs.

For traders, understanding that distinction can materially affect position sizing and risk management.

But the broader principle remains the same:

The account balance is not the most important risk number.

The maximum loss is.

Professional trading begins with understanding exactly how much capital can be lost before thinking about how much can be made.

Nothing After the Starting Plan Can Be Purchased

Another defining feature of the current 18th Street structure is that advancement cannot be bought.

The trader chooses a starting plan size.

After that, every step must be earned.

There are no purchasable phase upgrades.

There are no shortcuts into later stages.

There is no ability to buy your way directly into the Live account.

Every trader starts at Phase 1.

Every trader must complete all four phases.

That philosophy is published directly on the 18th Street website:

Responsibility is earned.

The firm’s position is that greater opportunity should follow demonstrated performance, risk management, consistency, and professional conduct over time.

Not purchasing power.

What Happens After Phase 4?

Successfully completing Phase 4 completes the simulated progression.

At that point, the trader moves into the firm’s highest designation:

Capital Partner.

The account environment changes as well.

Phases 1 through 4 use simulated capital.

The Capital Partner account uses actual capital with live exchange execution.

Current Live account balances are:

$3,000 after the $25,000 plan

$6,000 after the $50,000 plan

$12,000 after the $100,000 plan

$18,000 after the $150,000 plan

These balances are deliberately smaller than the notional plan sizes because the environments are fundamentally different.

Simulated qualification capital is used to establish the record.

Live capital represents actual money at risk.

Once live, the trader receives 90% of profits.

There is no additional profit target.

There is no consistency requirement.

There is no qualification timer.

The objective has changed from proving the standard to managing real capital professionally.

Why Independent Reviews Matter

18th Street Trading publishes its rules, pricing, payout structure, and progression model directly on its website.

But independent reviews serve a different purpose.

They allow traders to see how an outside reviewer interprets the structure.

What stands out?

What requires explanation?

What does the reviewer believe traders should pay attention to before purchasing?

That kind of outside analysis is useful precisely because it is not written by the firm itself.

For that reason, we encourage prospective traders to watch the full review and then compare the reviewer's observations with the specifications published directly by 18th Street.

A serious trader should do both.

Watch the Full 18th Street Trading Review

The full video walks through the current 18th Street Trading structure, including payouts beginning at Phase 1, the account rules, progression model, and the path toward live capital.

Watch the full review: 18th Street Trading Futures Prop Firm Review | Payout From Phase 1 | Full Rules Explained

Then review the official specifications directly at 18th Street Trading before deciding whether the structure fits how you trade.

Institutional Standard. Professional Traders.

18th Street Trading was built for traders who believe opportunity should be earned through performance.

Every trader begins at the same starting point.

Every phase carries the same standard.

Every successful phase creates a payout.

Every progression must be earned.

And completing the full record creates the opportunity to trade live capital.

Performance → Payout → Progression → Live Capital.

Explore the current plans, payouts, and qualification requirements at trade18th.com.

Futures trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for every trader. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Phases 1–4 operate in a simulated environment using notional capital. Fixed payouts require successful completion of the applicable phase requirements and verification. The Live account executes on the exchange under live market conditions. Participation does not guarantee successful completion, payouts, profits, or progression to a Live account.