TPO Count: The Golden Rook (POC)

To understand the market, you have to separate Advertising from Business.

Price is the Advertiser. It screams offers to see if anyone is interested. Time is the Regulator. It confirms whether business is actually happening.

The TPO (Time Price Opportunity) is the smallest building block of Market Profile. It doesn’t measure volume — it measures time spent at a level. In VolMike, we track the level that collects the most TPO to find the true center of the session: the place where the auction stops moving and starts transacting.

Why the Rook Matters

Why a rook? In chess it’s heavy, structural, and it controls lanes. In the market, the POC is the heaviest price on the board — a gravity point.

When a market builds a big TPO stack at one level, it’s establishing value.

• Above the Rook: the market often gets pulled down toward “fair” (mean reversion pressure).
• Below the Rook: the market often gets pulled up toward “fair.”
• At the Rook: balance. The Advertiser (price) and the Regulator (time) are in sync.

The POC Trap (Why It’s a “Kill Zone”)

One of the most common retail mistakes is taking breakouts into the Rook.

Because the Rook represents equilibrium, price tends to stall there like a magnet. If you buy calls or puts while Mike is hugging the Rook, you’re fighting the market’s resting state — and that’s where premiums often bleed.

VolMike rule: don’t initiate directional trades at the Rook. Wait for price to separate away from it.

Measuring Imbalance With TPO

TPO isn’t only about finding the center — it’s also a simple way to see who is winning the tug-of-war.

Compare how many TPOs build above the Rook vs below the Rook:

• More TPOs above: buyers are willing to do business at higher levels.
• More TPOs below: sellers are willing to do business at lower levels.

This doesn’t predict. It measures the session’s posture.

The 10-Second Decision Test

Before you enter a trade near the center of the day:

1. Locate the Rook (♜): Where is POC on the scanner?
2. Check proximity: Is Mike trading in a tight band right on top of the Rook?
   • Yes: wait. You’re in the chop zone.
   • No: look for separation.
3. Confirm the push: If Mike is moving away from the Rook, do you see the Horse (fuel)?
   • No Horse: it often snaps back to the Rook.
   • Yes Horse: odds shift toward continuation. Now you have a trade.

Based on TPO concepts from James Dalton, Mind Over Markets (Chapter 3).

FAQ (Quick Answers)

What is TPO in Market Profile?

TPO (Time Price Opportunity) measures time spent at a level (not volume). More TPO at a price means the market accepted that level longer.

What is the Point of Control (POC)?

POC is the single price level with the highest TPO count — the level where the market spent the most time.

What’s the difference between POC and VPOC?

• POC (Rook ♜): most time (TPO count)
• VPOC (Horse ♞): most volume

Why is the Rook often a bad place to enter?

Because it’s equilibrium. Price tends to stall there and chop. Directional trades initiated at the Rook often suffer from slow movement and premium decay.

How do I trade around the Rook?

Use it as a no-trade center. Wait for separation away from the Rook, then require fuel (the Horse) to reduce the odds of snapping back to value.