Candlestick Patterns Cheat Sheet
Quick visual reference for the candlestick patterns that actually have edge — and the ones to skip.
Quick reference table
| Doji | Indecision — open ≈ close. Watch for follow-through. |
| Hammer (uptrend bottom) | Small body at top + long lower wick. Bullish reversal. |
| Shooting star (downtrend top) | Small body at bottom + long upper wick. Bearish reversal. |
| Engulfing pattern | Current candle completely engulfs prior body. Strong reversal. |
| Three black crows | 3 consecutive long red candles. Bearish reversal at tops. |
| Three white soldiers | 3 consecutive long green candles. Bullish reversal at bottoms. |
| Morning star | 3-candle bullish reversal: red, indecision (small body), green. |
| Evening star | 3-candle bearish reversal: green, indecision, red. |
| Spinning top | Small body with both wicks. Indecision. |
| Marubozu | No wicks, full body. Strong continuation in candle's direction. |
Quick setups
- Pattern + key level = strong signal. Hammer at support: high-conviction long. Shooting star at resistance: high-conviction short.
- Pattern + volume = confirmation. Patterns on heavy volume are much more reliable than identical patterns on light volume.
- Pattern + indicator = best. Hammer at support with bullish RSI divergence = trade setup.