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Reverse Jade Lizard
Exotic
Neutral to Bearish
No downside risk, unlimited upside risk
The mirror image of a Jade Lizard: constructed so there is genuinely no risk at all on the downside — the trade-off is that the upside behaves like a naked Short Call, with genuinely unlimited risk if the underlying rallies hard.
What is a Reverse Jade Lizard?
A Reverse Jade Lizard combines selling one call with a Bull Put Spread (selling one put and buying a further put below it). The same condition applies as with a regular Jade Lizard, mirrored: if the total credit collected exceeds the width between the two put strikes, the position cannot lose money on the downside, no matter how far the underlying falls.
The legs
Leg 1
Sell 1 Call (above spot)
Leg 2
Sell 1 Put (below spot)
Leg 3
Buy 1 Put (further below)
Legs 2 and 3 together are a Bull Put Spread, capping the maximum loss that spread alone could produce. The call is naked, same as a standalone Short Call. As with the regular Jade Lizard, the "no downside risk" property depends on the credit collected being large enough relative to the put spread's width — checked directly for these specific strikes, not assumed.
How does a Reverse Jade Lizard work?
Three zones, mirrored from a regular Jade Lizard:
- At or below the short put strike — the full credit is kept as profit, down to the short put strike; below it, the profit steps down slightly but — when the credit-exceeds-width condition holds — never turns negative, no matter how far the underlying falls.
- Between the put strike and the call strike — flat, maximum profit — the full credit collected.
- Above the call strike — losses grow the same way a naked Short Call's would, genuinely unlimited.
When to use it
A Reverse Jade Lizard fits a neutral-to-bearish view — you don't want any risk if the underlying falls, and are comfortable with the same upside exposure a Short Call alone would carry. It's used when a trader is confident there's little reason to worry about a fall, and wants to remove that side of the risk entirely.
Max profit, max loss, and breakeven
Max profit
Total credit received
Downside risk
None, when structured correctly
Breakeven
Above the call strike
Reverse Jade Lizard Example: Step-by-Step
Suppose Nifty is trading at 24,000 with a weekly expiry coming up, and lot size is 65. You're neutral to bearish and want zero risk from a fall.
- Confirm the setup. You want to remove all downside risk while still collecting a credit, accepting upside risk similar to a naked Short Call.
- Sell 1 call at the 24,200 strike, collecting a premium of 95.
- Sell 1 put at the 23,800 strike, collecting a premium of 100.
- Buy 1 put at the 23,700 strike for a premium of 58.
- Calculate the total credit: 95 + 100 − 58 = 137 points, or ₹8,905 at this lot size.
- Check the no-downside-risk condition: the put spread is 100 points wide, and the credit (137) exceeds that width — confirming there's no loss possible on the downside.
- Calculate the reduced profit below the put spread: 137 − 100 = 37 points, or ₹2,405 — smaller than the maximum, but still positive at any price below.
- Calculate the breakeven: approximately 24,337, above the call strike.
- See how it resolves at expiry:
- Nifty finishes between 23,800 and 24,200 → maximum profit of ₹8,905.
- Nifty finishes at 20,000, or even 1,000 → still a profit of ₹2,405, never a loss.
- Nifty finishes at 25,000 → a real loss, growing the further it rises, same as a naked Short Call.
Quick reference for the same trade:
| Action | Option | Strike | Premium |
| Sell | Call | 24,200 | 95 |
| Sell | Put | 23,800 | 100 |
| Buy | Put | 23,700 | 58 |
Total credit
137 pts (×65 = ₹8,905)
Profit below put spread
₹2,405
Reverse Jade Lizard Payoff Diagram
Based on the worked example above. Notice the line never dips below zero on the left side of the chart, no matter how far left it goes — the mirror image of the Jade Lizard's shape. Move the cursor over the chart to see profit/loss at any price.
Risks and things to watch
- The "no downside risk" property depends entirely on the credit exceeding the put spread's width. If the strikes or premiums don't satisfy that, this strategy loses its defining feature.
- Upside risk is genuinely unlimited, same as a naked Short Call — this bears repeating, since it's the single most important thing to understand before using this strategy.
- Margin requirements reflect that unlimited risk and will be substantial.
- Index options on NSE are typically European-style and cash-settled — no early-assignment risk on the short legs before expiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Reverse Jade Lizard really risk-free on the downside?
Only when it's genuinely structured so the total credit collected is at least as large as the put spread's width. When that condition holds, there is truly no price low enough to produce a loss.
What is the upside risk on a Reverse Jade Lizard?
The same as a naked Short Call — genuinely unlimited, with no ceiling on how high the underlying can rise.
How is this different from a regular Jade Lizard?
They're mirror images. A Jade Lizard has no upside risk and unbounded downside risk. A Reverse Jade Lizard has no downside risk and unlimited upside risk instead.
Related strategies
See this strategy priced with live data
Check real Max Profit, Current P/L, and required margin on the actual chain — not the example numbers above.
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