Back when I first got into the crypto scene, who wasn’t glued to the charts every night? Chasing pumps and dumps, sleepless over liquidations—I’ve fallen into every trap there is.

What changed things? I adjusted my mindset—I stopped treating this like gambling and started treating it like a real job. I trade at set times and stick strictly to my plan. Sounds boring? The numbers in your account will give you the real answer.

Here are some lessons I learned the hard way with real money. If you’re new, I suggest saving these and reviewing them often:

**Only trade after 9 PM**
During the day, news is flying everywhere and the candlesticks are all over the place. Now, I wait until after 9 PM, when the market has digested most of the info and the trend is clearer.

**Made a profit? Pocket it first**
Don’t be dumb and leave all your $1,000 profit in the account. Withdraw $300 and do whatever you want with the rest. I’ve seen too many people go for 5x after making 3x, only to lose everything on a single pullback—including their initial investment.

**Trust indicators, not your gut**
Trading on intuition? Fast track to liquidation. Get TradingView on your phone and keep an eye on these three things:
- MACD golden/death cross
- RSI overbought/oversold
- Bollinger band squeeze breakouts

Only open a position when at least two indicators give the same signal.

**Move your stop-loss**
Can you monitor the market? Then raise your stop-loss as the price rises. For example, if you buy at 1,000 and it goes up to 1,100, set your stop-loss at 1,050. No time to watch? Just set a hard 3% stop-loss to guard against sudden crashes.

**Don’t delay withdrawals**
Numbers in your account are just numbers—the money’s only real once it’s in your bank. Every time you profit, withdraw 30%-50%. Don’t go all-in chasing that 10x dream.

**There’s a trick to reading candlesticks**
For short-term trades, watch the 1-hour chart. Two consecutive green candles? Time to consider going long. Market moving sideways? Switch to the 4-hour chart and look for support. Only consider entering when price is right at support.

**Avoid these traps at all costs**
- Going all-in with high leverage? One wrong move and you’re wiped out
- Can’t understand some random altcoin? Stay away—it’s a pro’s hunting ground
- Max 3 trades a day—any more and you’ll lose your head
- Borrowing money to trade? Don’t even think about it!

At the end of the day, this game isn’t about getting rich on a single gamble—it’s about sticking to the same strategy over the long term. Treat it like a job—log in on time, follow your plan, log out on time, take breaks as needed. You’ll find you actually make money more steadily that way.