When the SPX option chain displays significant open interest at particular strikes, do you avoid those levels or incorporate them when selecting the wings of your iron condors?

At VixShield, we approach open interest on the SPX option chain as one data point among many rather than a primary driver for strike selection in our 1DTE Iron Condor Command. Russell Clark's SPX Mastery methodology prioritizes the Expected Daily Range (EDR) indicator, RSAi skew analysis, and current VIX levels to determine mathematically optimal wings that match our three risk tiers: Conservative targeting approximately 0.70 credit, Balanced near 1.15 credit, and Aggressive around 1.60 credit. Massive open interest often clusters at round numbers or prior highs and lows because of institutional hedging flows, gamma pinning, or dealer positioning. We do not automatically avoid these strikes. Instead, we evaluate whether they align with the EDR projection for that trading day. For example, with the SPX recently closing at 7138.80 and VIX at 17.95, our EDR might project a daily range of roughly 0.9 to 1.2 percent. If significant open interest sits at 7200 on the call side, we might still place our short call wing inside or outside that level depending on where RSAi indicates the market is willing to pay our target credit. The key principle is remaining neutral and theta positive. Our Set and Forget approach means we define risk at entry with no stop losses, allowing the Theta Time Shift mechanism to handle any breaches by rolling threatened positions forward to 1-7 DTE during volatility expansions when VIX exceeds 16 or EDR surpasses 0.94 percent. We then roll back on VWAP pullbacks to capture additional premium. This temporal martingale has shown strong recovery characteristics in backtests without adding capital. Open interest can sometimes signal support or resistance, but we never lean into it at the expense of our core rules. If heavy OI coincides with an EDR-derived strike that delivers the desired credit, we accept it. If not, we adjust by five-point increments until RSAi confirms the premium target. Our ALVH hedge remains active across all VIX regimes, layering short, medium, and long VIX calls in a 4/4/2 ratio to cut drawdowns during spikes. With VIX currently near 18, we favor Conservative and Balanced tiers while keeping the full ALVH shield deployed. This disciplined process, refined through Russell Clark's books, focuses on consistency rather than fighting perceived pinning. All trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Visit vixshield.com to explore our daily signals, the SPX Mastery series, and PickMyTrade auto-execution for the Conservative tier.