Polymarket order types: GTC, FAK, FOK and sweep

First: resting vs taking

Every order does one of two things. If you trade at the current best price — the touch — there's already matching money waiting, so your order fills immediately. You are taking liquidity. If instead you ask for a better price than the market is offering, there's nothing to match yet, so your order rests in the book and waits for someone to meet it.

Taking is certain but pays the current price; resting can win you a better price but may never fill. Order types are the rules that decide what happens in between — how long an order waits, and what to do with any part that can't fill right now.

The order types

Pick the type in the Order type tool before you click a rung:

GTC — Good Till Cancelled

Rests in the book until it's matched or you pull it. Nothing expires it for you.

• Use it when you're patient and want a specific price — parking a resting bid below the touch to buy the dip, or an offer above it to sell into strength. This is the default working order.

FAK — Fill And Kill

Fills as much as is available right now at your price or better, then kills whatever's left. A partial fill is fine; the remainder simply doesn't rest.

• Use it when you want to take what's there immediately without leaving an order hanging in the book — good for grabbing available liquidity on a fast market.

FOK — Fill Or Kill

All-or-nothing, instantly. Either the whole order can be filled at your price right now, or none of it is — no partials, no resting.

• Use it when a partial fill would be worse than no fill at all — for example when you need the full size on to be properly positioned, and half a position would just be awkward.

T-FOK — Timed-FOK

Rests for a few seconds, then cancels whatever hasn't matched. A short-fuse working order: it gives the market a brief moment to come to your price, but won't sit there indefinitely.

• Use it when you want a resting price but only for a moment — chasing a fill during a quick move without committing to leave the order live and forgotten.

Sweep

Crosses several ticks through the touch so a large order matches across multiple price levels at once, walking the book to get filled in full.

• Use it when your size is bigger than what's resting at the touch and you need it done now — you accept a worse average price in exchange for getting the whole order on immediately.

Setting a default

Most traders live on one or two of these. Set your preferred order type as the default in Settings and every click on the ladder uses it, so you only switch type when a particular trade calls for something else.