No trade taken unless I can expect a profit equal to or better than 3 times my risk. This will also mathematically keep you out of contracting markets.
R:R is amusing to me as I never use it-it is more of "after the fact deal"-like Elliott and how many waves, we predict on everything regarding trading or investing, unless you have back tested so many years or decades to come up with a 3 to 1 as an edge, then it is subjective desire of making so much, all we can hope for is it is profitable enough to get to breakeven plus a tick or having a protective stop we lie to ourselves that price will get stopped out at that price. Of course am sure you an experienced trader as I have read your posts, if soon after trend change and early in Swing, one can expect much higher profits to risk, but in a sustained trend and in final push to highs, seldom have contraction at tops. Yes, traps one of my favorites as well, like trend line breakouts, wait for price to come back to trendline at much better price than those who took the two tick breakout of the TL, newbs getting stopped out on 1 point stops or those who went in early-out at breakeven.