Ma Deuce Model
Also: Ma Deuce, My Deuce, M2 Model, Inversion FVG Model, Ma Deuce Inversion Model
Visual Context Required
This concept requires chart visuals for full understanding.
The Ma Deuce Model is an ICT trading model built around the Inversion Fair Value Gap (Inversion FVG). The name "Ma Deuce" is military slang for the M2 machine gun — ICT uses the nickname to describe the model's precision and power. Core logic: When price is in a premium (bearish context) or discount (bullish context), a FVG that would normally act as support (bullish BISI) instead inverts to act as resistance (inversion FVG), and vice versa. The Ma Deuce model specifically exploits this inversion for high-probability short entries (primary teaching focus). Bearish Ma Deuce (primary variant): 1. Context: Price is in a short-term or intermediate premium relative to a known institutional reference level (e.g., daily FVG high, weekly order block top). 2. A fair value gap exists below the current price that would normally be bullish support (BISI — Buy-Side Imbalance, Sell-Side Inefficiency). 3. Price has already traded through that FVG from below, inverting it — the FVG is now an inversion FVG and acts as resistance. 4. A catalyst (e.g., 8:30 AM news delivery, kill zone open) sends price briefly back up into the inversion FVG. 5. Entry: Short inside the inversion FVG as price trades up into it. 6. Targets measured from the daily (or relevant timeframe) inefficiency range: - Lower quadrant: 25% of the full range of the original inefficiency - Midpoint: 50% (CE — Consequent Encroachment) of the inefficiency - Full range low: 100% of the inefficiency (complete fill) Bullish Ma Deuce: Price is in a discount; a bearish FVG (SIBI) inverts to support; price briefly drops into the inversion FVG → long entry.
Identification6
- Confirm directional bias: bearish (price in premium) or bullish (price in discount) based on HTF context.
- Identify a FVG that has been penetrated — price traded through it from the opposing side, creating an inversion FVG.
- For bearish Ma Deuce: identify a bullish FVG (BISI) that price has already traded down through; it is now an inversion FVG acting as resistance.
- For bullish Ma Deuce: identify a bearish FVG (SIBI) that price has already traded up through; it is now an inversion FVG acting as support.
- A catalyst or time-based event (news, kill zone, macro time) causes price to briefly trade back into the inversion FVG zone.
- Measure the full range of the related daily (or HTF) inefficiency to calculate tiered targets: 25% (lower quadrant), 50% (CE), 100% (full range).
Entry4
- Bearish: Place sell limit inside the inversion FVG (at or near the midpoint or lower edge of the inverted gap range) as price rallies up into it.
- Bullish: Place buy limit inside the inversion FVG as price drops down into it.
- Confirmation on 1m–5m: a bearish (for short) or bullish (for long) candle sequence that shows price respecting the inversion level.
- NFP / high-impact news events at 8:30 AM are specifically noted as catalysts that send price briefly into the inversion FVG before the main directional move.
Stop2
- Above the top of the inversion FVG + a few ticks buffer (bearish entry).
- Below the bottom of the inversion FVG + a few ticks buffer (bullish entry).
Target3
- First target: lower quadrant of the daily inefficiency — 25% of the full inefficiency range measured from its high.
- Second target: CE (Consequent Encroachment) — 50% midpoint of the full daily inefficiency.
- Third target: full low (or high for bullish) of the daily inefficiency — 100% fill.
Invalidation3
- Price closes a candle body fully beyond the inversion FVG (above it for bearish, below it for bullish) — the inversion is breached and the setup is negated.
- Higher-timeframe bias reverses (e.g., price reaches a deep discount on HTF while bearish setup is active) — context no longer supports the model.
- The catalyst/time window passes without price trading into the inversion FVG — no entry trigger occurs this session.
Inferred Conditions (Unvalidated)
- The inversion FVG is a pre-existing concept from ICT 2016/2022 teachings; the Ma Deuce Model is a named, structured trade model built around it.
- The three-tiered target structure (25%, 50%, 100%) is specific to the Ma Deuce model application of the inversion FVG.
- Works best when the inversion FVG aligns with a kill zone (London Open, NY AM) that provides the energy for the brief retracement into the inversion before the main move.
ICT Quotes
""Ma Deuce is the model that you can use a inversion fair value gap when you are expecting price to run right back down a inefficiency.""
Timeframes
Version History1 version
ICT YT - 2023-09-09 - ICT Mentorship 2023 - Review and ICT Ma Deuce Model September 08 2023
Original naming and model codification. The Inversion FVG concept predates this model (2016/2022), but the Ma Deuce label and the structured entry + three-tiered target system are new to September 2023.
Notes
The underlying component — the Inversion FVG — is a 2016/2022 concept with no material conflict. The Ma Deuce Model is a named application framework for that concept, introduced in 2023. SRT speech-to-text renders the name variously as "My Deuce," "my deuce," and "Ma Deuce" — the correct name is "Ma Deuce" (slang for M2 machine gun). The "BISI" (Buy-Side Imbalance Sell-Side Inefficiency) and "SIBI" (Sell-Side Imbalance Buy-Side Inefficiency) terminology aligns with the 2022+ ICT nomenclature for bullish and bearish FVGs respectively.
Asymmetry Notes
The bearish Ma Deuce (short at inversion FVG in premium) is the primary teaching example. ICT frequently illustrates it with 8:30 AM news (NFP) causing a spike up into the inversion zone before the main bearish delivery. The tiered target structure (25/50/100%) encourages scaling out of the position at each level rather than holding for a single exit. The 25% lower quadrant is the minimum expectation; the full inefficiency fill is the maximum.