Bitcoin Options| How to Trade, Buy and Maximize Profits

Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on big crypto moves because you can’t buy more than one Bitcoin Options? Or maybe you’re holding BTC and want to generate income or protect your portfolio from a downturn?

You’re not the only one who thinks that. I remember staring at the charts during the 2021 bull run, convinced a pullback was coming, but I had no way to profit from that belief without selling my long-term holdings. That’s when I really learned how to use bitcoin options.

trade options on bitcoin

Now, they’re not just for people who work on Wall Street.Bitcoin options are a financial super-tool for crypto traders, offering leverage, hedging, and strategic flexibility that spot trading simply can’t match.

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly what they are, where to get them, and how to make a plan that works for you. You’ll learn not only how to do it, but also why, so you can trade with confidence.

How to Use Bitcoin Options to Get More Money?

Let’s cut through the jargon. An option is basically a contract that lets you buy or sell Bitcoin at a certain price on or before a certain date, but you don’t have to.

Think of it like putting a down payment on a house to lock in the sale price. You pay a small fee (the premium) to have the choice to buy it later. If the price on the market goes through the roof, you win. If it crashes, the only thing you lose is that small fee. That’s the magic of knowing what the risk is.

There are two main types of options:

  • Call Options: A bet that the price will rise. You pay for the right to buy BTC at a certain “strike price.” If the market price soars above that strike, your call option becomes incredibly valuable.
  • Put options: A bet that the price will drop. You buy the right to sell BTC at a set strike price. This is your insurance policy or a way to profit in a bear market.

The main idea is that the only risk you have as a buyer is the premium you pay. This is what makes options on bitcoin so attractive compared to futures, where losses can be unlimited.

bitcoin future options

Where and How to Buy Bitcoin Options Safely?

You can’t just buy bitcoin options on any random exchange. You need a trustworthy, regulated platform that is made for trading derivatives. Where to buy bitcoin options is an important question for your safety and success.

Here are the top-tier platforms I recommend:

  1. Deribit is the clear leader in crypto options, handling most of the world’s volume. It’s the professional’s choice, offering deep liquidity and a wide range of strike prices and expiries. (US users mostly need a VPN).
  2. CME Group: The big name in traditional finance. These are bitcoin future options that are regulated and settled in cash. This is where institutional money goes, and it’s a great place for traders who want to work in a regulated environment.
  3. Bybit and OKX are two of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, and they both have great options trading platforms that are easy to use. They are great for both new and experienced traders because they have a good mix of features and are easy to use.

These are the usual steps for buying bitcoin options on these platforms:

  1. Put BTC or USDC into your account.
  2. Go to the area where you can trade options.
  3. Pick “Call” or “Put.”
  4. Choose your expiration date and strike price.
  5. Type in the amount you want to buy and then make the trade.

Always, and I mean always, start with a small amount to get a feel for the interface and how the bitcoin options prices move.

Can you buy and sell options on Bitcoin? A Step-by-Step Guide

Of course you can. Let’s make it concrete. Seeing it in action is the best way to answer the question, “Can you trade options on bitcoin?”

Let’s walk through a real-world example of buying a bitcoin call option:

Scenario: Bitcoin is trading at $60,000. You think it will reach $70,000 in the next month.

Your Deal:

  1. Buy a Bitcoin Call Option.
  2. Lasts for 30 days.
  3. Price to Strike: $65,000.
  4. Premium: This contract costs you $2,000.

There are two possible outcomes:

  • You’re right (the price goes to $70,000): your option is now “in the money.” You can buy BTC for $65,000 and then sell it right away for $70,000. Your profit is $3,000, which is $70,000 minus $65,000 minus $2,000. That’s a 150% return on your initial premium, and you don’t have to spend as much money as you would if you bought the Bitcoin outright.
  • You’re Wrong (Price stays below $65,000): The option is useless when it runs out. The most you can lose is the amount you paid for the bitcoin call options, which is $2,000. No matter how low Bitcoin goes, you won’t lose any more than that.

This risk/reward profile is what makes it so useful to know how to trade options on bitcoin.

What Are Bitcoin Call Options and Future Options?

Let’s take a closer look at the two most talked-about tools.

Bitcoin Call Options: Your Bet on the Bull Market

A call option is your way to get leveraged upside, as we saw. The price of the bitcoin call options (the premium) is affected by:

  • Intrinsic Value: The amount of money the option is already “in the money.” For example, if BTC is $66,000 and your strike is $65,000, the intrinsic value is $1,000.
  • Extrinsic Value (Time Value): The chance to make money before the expiration date. As the expiration date gets closer, this gets weaker. This is called “theta decay.”
  • Implied Volatility (IV): The market’s guess about how prices will change in the future. More expensive premiums when IV is high.

Bitcoin Future Options: The Choice of Institutions

A bitcoin future option is a choice you have when you buy a Bitcoin futures contract. Instead of settling in real Bitcoin, it settles in cash based on the price of Bitcoin futures. You can get these from the CME Group. They are fantastic for traders who want exposure to Bitcoin’s price without handling the actual asset, and they operate within a heavily regulated framework, which appeals to traditional investors.

Prices and charts for Bitcoin options: Trends and analysis

You wouldn’t buy a car without first looking at the price and history, would you? The same is true for options. You have to look at bitcoin options prices and charts.

  • The Options Chain: It is where you can find most of your information. It shows all available strike prices, expiries, and the current “bid” and “ask” prices for both calls and puts.
  • The Volatility Smile/Skew: By looking at a bitcoin options chart of Implied Volatility across different strikes, you can gauge market sentiment. Are traders buying more calls that are in the money (greed) or puts that are out of the money (fear)?
  • Open Interest and Volume: It’s easy to trade a contract with a lot of volume and open interest because the price doesn’t move around too much.

When you look at a bitcoin options chart, you’re not just looking for the direction of the market; you’re also looking for what the market thinks will happen next. If you know how to read it, this data is pure alpha.

Bitcoin Options: Tips and Strategies for Investing

options on bitcoin

Are you ready to go from theory to practice? Here are my best tips for getting things done, from easy to hard.

For Beginners:

  1. Start small: Only use 1–5% of your portfolio for options that are risky.
  2. Buy calls or puts. This is the easiest way to do it. Set your risk (the premium) and let your thesis play out.
  3. The Covered Call: Do you own Bitcoin? To make money, sell call options against it. This is a great way to get started with less risk.

For Traders with More Experience:

  1. The Protective Put: This is like insurance. If you own BTC and are worried about a crash, buy a put option. Your put will be worth more if the price goes down, which will make up for the loss in your portfolio.
  2. Credit Spreads: Sell one option and buy a further out-of-the-money option to finance it. This defines your risk and allows you to profit from time decay and stable prices.
  3. Iron Condors: A more advanced strategy that makes money when Bitcoin trades in a certain range. It’s best for times when the price is stable.

Everything is about risk management:

  • Before you start, decide how much you can lose.
  • Be careful with leverage: options are always leveraged. A small price move can lead to a 100% loss of your premium.
  • As a buyer, time is not on your side: theta decay speeds up as expiration gets closer. If you don’t have a strong, long-term view, don’t buy options that last a long time.

Important Points and Things You Can Do

We’ve talked about a lot of things.Bitcoin options are not a way to get rich quickly, but they are a useful set of tools for today’s crypto investor.

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Learn First: Use fake money to trade paper on a site like Deribit or Bybit before using real money. Get to know the P&L charts.
  2. Choose Your Battlefield:Choose a trustworthy exchange. Most people should start with Bybit or OKX. CME is a good place to look for institutional-grade trading.
  3. Start with a simple question: Are you bullish? Get a call. Are you bearish? Get a put. Want to make a profit from your investments? Sell a call option.
  4. Risk management is not optional; it is the most important part of your plan. You should never risk more than you can afford to lose on one trade.

Bitcoin options are a complicated, exciting, and full of chances world. You can use these tools to hedge, speculate, and eventually become a more powerful and profitable trader by starting small, focusing on education, and respecting risk.

I’d like to hear from you now. What do you want to know most about trading Bitcoin options? Please let me know in the comments below.

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