The Big Boys, page-283

Really appreciate the comments Captain. I'll definitively follow up now and get myself set up properly for this.

I remember researching Options Xpress and their platform technology seemed the best and I remember the walk-limit thing. But their pricing was a bit high I recall. Etrade is actually cheaper than IB and all others under certain conditions, including minimum order sizes and Australian only options, which I have been doing. But use of margin attracts double the ASX margin requirements. That why I've restricted myself to debit options with simple buying calls and puts for a directional trade and then maybe writing an option against it to create a diagonal spread and get back some premium. But this is all a function of what's available on the Australian market. I tested out a few options strategies whilst I was trying to learn them including credit spreads and iron condors and things and couldn't get the pricing in the Australian options to justify the risk:reward.

So with a bit of a push again from your posts, I'll go and follow through on a US capability and get back to exploring the options world fully. I'll start with simple directional trades and diagonal spreads first while I get used to it, so no margin initially but possibly will with time. I'll have to think about whether Options Xpress (with their user friendly platform and services) or IB (with low cost brokerage) are the best broker for me in those circumstances.