Educational only, not financial advice. Broker features, options-approval requirements, 0DTE availability, and fees change and vary by account — verify current details on the broker’s own site. NoVo is independent and not affiliated with the brokers named.

tastytrade was built by the people who built thinkorswim, and it is the one broker here designed around the options chain rather than adding one to a stock app. For a 0DTE SPY scalp, the platform’s whole geometry works in your favor.

Approval, options-first

Because options are the point, the application treats them as the main event rather than an upgrade. Buying long calls and puts is the basic grant; confirm your tier and that same-day expirations are enabled (does my broker offer 0DTE SPY).

Table mode, today’s date

Load SPY and the chain is the front page — take today’s expiration (SPY lists a 0DTE every weekday), flip between table and curve views, and read the quote inline. pick a strike the responsive near-the-money strike; the platform makes the far-OTM lottery ticket look as cheap as it is, which is a warning, not an invitation.

In, capped, out

Place the order at one contract. The ticket is quick by design, which makes the discipline step easier to skip — don’t: set your stop at fill, because decay is fast and a hard stop beats a mental one. Plan the exit up front so you never drift into the close.

An options-native platform removes the friction. Friction was never your problem; positioning is.

The part no broker gives you

The smoothest chain in retail still cannot tell you what the dealers on the other side of it are holding. That’s where NoVo fits: it maps the dealer levels on SPY, QQQ and IWM and keeps a scored record of what that structure has tended to mean. It does not connect to tastytrade or any other broker — you place every trade yourself. Either way: start small, and remember levels are structure, not signals.