Been trading RSI for years now and honestly, most people overcomplicate it. The indicator itself is dead simple—just a momentum scale from 0 to 100—but knowing how to actually use it? That's where people mess up.

Let me share what actually works. First, the basics everyone knows: above 70 means overbought, below 30 means oversold. But here's the thing most traders miss—context matters way more than the number itself. I've seen RSI at 75 in a raging bull market and it just keeps climbing. So the real cheat sheet isn't about memorizing levels, it's about understanding what those levels mean in different market conditions.

The divergence play is where I've made consistent money. When price makes a lower low but RSI makes a higher low, that's a bullish divergence and usually signals a reversal coming. I've caught so many bounces this way. Same logic in reverse for bearish divergences—price hits a higher high but RSI can't match it. That's a warning sign. The key is using higher timeframes to confirm these setups though. On the 1-hour chart you'll get faked out constantly.

Then there's the swing failure pattern which is criminally underrated. Watch when RSI dips below 30 but then immediately bounces back up without going lower. That's a bullish swing failure and it's a strong reversal signal, especially if it aligns with a support zone. I use this on ranging markets all the time.

One thing I always do is combine RSI with moving averages for trend confirmation and MACD for extra momentum signals. Volume matters too—if you see RSI breaking out with weak volume, it's probably not going to hold. I set alerts for these setups so I'm not glued to the charts 24/7.

The RSI cheat sheet basically comes down to this: use it for reversals when price is ranging, use it for pullback entries when you're already in a trend. Don't just stare at the 50 level or treat 70/30 as gospel. Combine it with price action, volume, and support/resistance zones.

Honestly, having a solid RSI cheat sheet in your trading toolkit is half the battle. The other half is discipline and risk management. Too many people find one good signal and then over-trade it until it stops working. What RSI strategy have you had the most success with?