Ratio Backspread Calculator
Sell one nearer option and buy two further out for a big-move payoff.
The stock
Everything else is measured against this price.
Enter a ticker to pull the live stock price automatically.
Filled from the live quote when you enter a ticker. You can still edit it.
Where you think the stock will be. Adds a marker to the chart.
Today, unless you are modelling a past or future entry.
The contracts
Premiums are per share, the way they are quoted. One contract covers 100 shares.
Short callYou receive
Calculated by a modelModel estimate, not a quote
45 days
100 shares of exposure
Leave blank and it is solved from the premium you entered.
Long callsYou pay
Calculated by a modelModel estimate, not a quote
45 days
200 shares of exposure
Leave blank and it is solved from the premium you entered.
Rates, dividends and costs4.00% rate · 0.00% yield
Roughly the Treasury yield matching your expiration.
Annual, continuous. Raises put values and lowers call values.
Charged per leg, both to open and to close.
Per contract. Usually a few cents.
Per share, applied against you on entry.
Profit and loss
The solid line is the exact payoff at expiration. Move the sliders to see the position before then.
Hover, tap or use arrow keys to read the curve
- At expiration
- Today (model estimate)
- Breakeven
- Current price
| Stock price | Profit or loss |
|---|---|
| 87.75 | +$204.05 |
| 89.52 | +$204.05 |
| 91.29 | +$204.05 |
| 93.06 | +$204.05 |
| 94.83 | +$204.05 |
| 96.60 | +$204.05 |
| 98.36 | +$204.05 |
| 100.00 | +$204.05 |
| 101.55 | +$49.12 |
| 102.96 | −$92.42 |
| 104.73 | −$269.33 |
| 106.50 | −$446.24 |
| 108.27 | −$623.16 |
| 110.00 | −$795.95 |
| 111.46 | −$650.29 |
| 113.23 | −$473.38 |
| 114.99 | −$296.47 |
| 116.76 | −$119.55 |
| 118.18 | +$21.98 |
| 119.95 | +$198.90 |
| 121.72 | +$375.81 |
| 123.49 | +$552.72 |
| 125.26 | +$729.64 |
| 127.03 | +$906.55 |
| 128.79 | +$1,083.47 |
Drag towards expiration to watch time value drain out of the position.
Shifts every leg's implied volatility. Changes the Greeks and every date before expiration.
Result
Measured at Sep 19, 2026 · 45 days to expiration
-$795.95
The worst case at expiration, including fees.
Unlimited
Profit rises with the stock and has no ceiling.
$204.05
Paid into your account when the position is opened.
102.04 · 117.96
The position is profitable between these prices.
$795.95
Defined-risk credit positions are usually held against the maximum loss. Your broker may require more.
$1.95
To open. Closing costs are not included.
+$204.05
If the stock finished expiration exactly where it is now.
Not set
Enter one to see the profit at a specific price.
Probability
Model estimates, not forecasts. The assumptions behind each number are stated in full.
63.6%
Assumes a lognormal terminal price (geometric brownian motion), the same distribution black-scholes assumes with volatility of 30.0% and risk-neutral drift. Real returns have fatter tails than this model assumes, and volatility itself changes. Other tools quote different numbers mainly because they assume a different volatility or a different expected drift.
Greeks
How the position responds to price, time, volatility and rates, for the whole position rather than a single contract.
- delta
- −11.90
- share equivalents
- How many shares this position behaves like. A delta of 50 gains roughly $50 for every $1 the stock rises.
- gamma
- 1.7082
- delta per $1 move
- How quickly delta changes. High gamma means the position gets directional fast as the stock moves.
- theta
- −2.00
- dollars per day
- What time decay costs or earns each calendar day, if nothing else changes.
- vega
- 6.32
- dollars per 1% of volatility
- What a one percentage point change in implied volatility is worth to this position.
- rho
- −1.21
- dollars per 1% of rates
- What a one percentage point change in interest rates is worth. Usually the smallest of the five.
Profit on this position is theoretically unlimited, so no maximum profit figure is shown. Any specific number would be an assumption about how far the stock can rise.
Profit table
Every combination of price and date, so you can see the position from any angle at once.
| Stock price | Aug 5, 2026estimate | Aug 13, 2026estimate | Aug 20, 2026estimate | Aug 28, 2026estimate | Sep 4, 2026estimate | Sep 12, 2026estimate | ExpirationSep 19, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125.00 | +$878.62 | +$834.95 | +$797.93 | +$759.34 | +$732.24 | +$713.52 | +$704.05 |
| 122.50 | +$680.39 | +$629.04 | +$583.56 | +$533.01 | +$493.99 | +$464.62 | +$454.05 |
| 120.00 | +$500.30 | +$441.65 | +$387.53 | +$323.45 | +$268.54 | +$219.21 | +$204.05 |
| 117.50 | +$342.21 | +$277.65 | +$215.96 | +$138.69 | +$65.64 | −$15.12 | −$45.95 |
| 115.00 | +$209.68 | +$141.78 | +$75.12 | −$12.19 | −$101.66 | −$221.21 | −$295.95 |
| 112.50 | +$105.54 | +$37.87 | −$29.61 | −$120.61 | −$219.18 | −$370.65 | −$545.95 |
| 110.00 | +$31.29 | −$31.89 | −$95.03 | −$180.85 | −$275.88 | −$432.19 | −$795.95 |
| 107.50 | −$13.31 | −$67.75 | −$121.24 | −$192.41 | −$269.17 | −$391.32 | −$545.95 |
| 105.00 | −$30.51 | −$72.78 | −$112.41 | −$161.48 | −$208.53 | −$266.75 | −$295.95 |
| 102.50 | −$24.56 | −$52.79 | −$76.49 | −$100.47 | −$114.52 | −$106.19 | −$45.95 |
| 100.00now | −$1.28 | −$15.56 | −$24.02 | −$25.36 | −$12.58 | +$37.94 | +$204.05 |
| 97.50 | +$32.68 | +$30.30 | +$33.92 | +$48.35 | +$75.58 | +$134.36 | +$204.05 |
| 95.00 | +$70.79 | +$76.89 | +$87.92 | +$109.48 | +$138.46 | +$182.13 | +$204.05 |
| 92.50 | +$107.56 | +$118.19 | +$131.87 | +$153.09 | +$175.66 | +$199.13 | +$204.05 |
| 90.00 | +$139.16 | +$150.80 | +$163.47 | +$179.94 | +$193.82 | +$203.30 | +$204.05 |
| 87.50 | +$163.68 | +$173.89 | +$183.58 | +$194.16 | +$201.04 | +$203.98 | +$204.05 |
| 85.00 | +$180.94 | +$188.56 | +$194.87 | +$200.58 | +$203.34 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 |
| 82.50 | +$191.95 | +$196.90 | +$200.43 | +$203.02 | +$203.92 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 |
| 80.00 | +$198.30 | +$201.11 | +$202.81 | +$203.80 | +$204.03 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 |
| 77.50 | +$201.59 | +$202.98 | +$203.69 | +$204.00 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 |
| 75.00 | +$203.11 | +$203.71 | +$203.96 | +$204.04 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 | +$204.05 |
Every column before expiration is a model estimate that assumes implied volatility stays where it is today. Only the expiration column is arithmetic rather than a forecast.
Notes on the ratio backspread
- The worst outcome is the stock finishing exactly at the long strike.
- If you invert the ratio, buying fewer than you sell, the risk becomes unlimited.
- Max loss
- -$795.95
- Max profit
- Unlimited
- Breakeven
- 102.04 · 117.96
How a ratio backspread works
You sell one call and buy two calls at a higher strike, often for close to no cost. A large move up pays off through the extra long call. A move to the short strike is the worst case.
When traders use it
When you expect either no move at all or a very large one, and want to avoid paying much to find out.