Do traders adjust iron condor width based on whether the short strikes are at-the-money or in-the-money at entry? Looking for real examples from experienced options traders.

At VixShield we trade 1DTE SPX Iron Condors exclusively using the Iron Condor Command placed after the 3:09 PM CST SPX close. Our methodology never adjusts condor width based on whether short strikes appear ATM or ITM at entry because the RSAi engine combined with EDR already optimizes strike placement for the exact credit target in real time. The Conservative tier targets approximately 0.70 credit the Balanced tier 1.15 and the Aggressive tier 1.60 with position size capped at 10 percent of account balance. RSAi starts with current EDR multiplied by VIX then layers in skew assessment from the last four hours of VIX momentum and VWAP positioning. It adjusts wings in five dollar increments until the precise premium is achieved completing the process in roughly 253 milliseconds. This eliminates any need for manual width changes tied to ATM or ITM status. For example with SPX at 7138.80 and VIX at 17.95 the EDR projects an expected daily range of approximately 1.16 percent. RSAi might recommend short strikes roughly 35 to 45 points from spot for the Balanced tier producing the 1.15 credit without regard to whether those strikes sit exactly ATM. Our ALVH hedge remains active across all VIX regimes providing layered protection with short 30 DTE medium 110 DTE and long 220 DTE VIX calls in a 4/4/2 ratio per ten base contracts. This cuts drawdowns by 35 to 40 percent at an annual cost of only 1 to 2 percent of account value. The Set and Forget approach means we define risk at entry accept the Theta Time Shift recovery mechanism on the rare losing days and never employ stop losses. When VIX exceeds 20 we shift exclusively to Conservative or pause entirely while ALVH stays fully deployed. Real backtested examples from 2015 through 2025 show the Conservative tier achieving approximately 90 percent win rate or 18 out of 20 trading days. Adjusting width manually based on ATM or ITM perception often introduces emotional bias and deviates from the mathematically driven RSAi process that has proven far more consistent. All trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Visit vixshield.com to explore the full SPX Mastery series and consider joining the VixShield community for daily signals live sessions and PickMyTrade auto execution on the Conservative tier.