# Using the Risk-Reward Visualizer on Each Trade

> The risk-reward visualizer in Trader Journal shows your entry, stop loss, and take profit as a price diagram. Here is how to read it and use it for trade review.

**Tags:** risk-reward, visualizer, trade-detail, analysis
**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/app-guide/using-risk-reward-visualizer

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# Using the Risk-Reward Visualizer on Each Trade

On each trade detail page in Trader Journal, a visual diagram shows your entry, stop loss, and take profit as labeled price levels. This section explains how to read it and why it is more useful than just looking at raw numbers.

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## What the Visualizer Shows

The diagram is a vertical price representation with three horizontal lines:

- **Blue line** - your entry price
- **Red line** - your stop loss (below entry for buys, above entry for sells)
- **Green line** - your take profit (above entry for buys, below entry for sells)

The zones between the lines are filled with color:

- **Red zone** between entry and stop loss - represents the risk
- **Green zone** between entry and take profit - represents the reward

Below the diagram, three stats are displayed:

- **R:R ratio** - the reward-to-risk ratio, like "1 : 2.50"
- **Risk $** - the dollar amount you risked (stop loss distance x lot size x pip value)
- **Reward $** - the dollar amount you targeted (take profit distance x lot size x pip value)

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## Why a Visual Diagram Is More Useful Than Numbers

Reading raw prices is not intuitive. An entry at 1.08450 with a stop at 1.08230 and a target at 1.09100 requires mental math to evaluate. The diagram makes it immediate - you can see at a glance that the target zone is much larger than the risk zone, or vice versa.

This is especially useful during trade review. When you flip through past trades, the visual format lets you quickly categorize each one: wide stop with tight target (poor R:R), tight stop with wide target (good R:R), or balanced setup.

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## Evaluating Your Historical R:R

After accumulating 30+ trades, go through the trade list and look at the R:R visualizer on each one. Patterns to watch for:

**R:R below 1:1 on losing trades.** If you are taking trades where the target is smaller than the stop, you need a very high win rate to be profitable. Most traders cannot sustain this.

**Inconsistent R:R across trades.** Wide variation in your R:R ratios suggests you are not applying a consistent framework to your entries. Some trades are 1:1, some are 1:3, some are 1:0.5. This makes your overall expectancy hard to predict or improve.

**R:R vs actual outcome.** A trade planned with a 1:2 R:R that got closed early at a smaller profit shows you that your exit management may be undermining your risk-reward planning.

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## Handles Both Buy and Sell Correctly

The diagram adjusts based on trade direction. For a buy trade, the stop loss is below entry and the take profit is above. For a sell trade, the positions are reversed. The visual representation is always intuitive regardless of direction.

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## When SL or TP Was Not Set

If a trade was closed without a pre-defined stop loss or take profit - for example, a manually closed trade with no pending orders - the diagram shows what is available. Trades without a stop loss or take profit recorded show a partial diagram.

This is itself useful information during review. If many of your trades have no stop loss recorded, your risk management workflow may need attention.