Several prop firms at once, or focus on one?

[FXS London Scalper]

Once traders pass one evaluation, the next thought is often to buy a second and a third at other firms. Spread the risk, scale faster. It sounds reasonable, but it brings its own problems.

Arguments for spreading across firms:
- Firm-specific risk. Rules change, payouts get delayed, firms close.
- More total capital under management.
- Different rule sets may suit different market conditions.

Arguments for focusing on one:
- One set of rules to remember. Breaches often happen when rules get mixed up between firms.
- Simpler monitoring. Three dashboards, three daily loss calculations, three reset times is a lot during a fast session.
- Copying trades across firms may break terms (many prohibit identical trading across accounts, or across firms).
- Fees add up. Three failed evaluations at once is an expensive week.

A middle path seen fairly often: one main firm where you trade actively, one backup account at a different firm traded at minimal size, mainly to keep it alive in case the main firm changes its rules.

How many firms do you trade with at the same time? Has juggling rules ever caught you out?