2026-01-03 14:22:18

The waves rise and fall in the crypto world, and what’s truly tested is never how quickly you can make money, but how long you can survive.

Back when I was a newbie, I was also tempted by the dream of "getting rich overnight," and I was all over the place. A buddy born in 1995, holding 10,000 yuan, turned it into a million in just three months—stories like that were basically spiritual opium for me at the time. But looking back now, what do those crazy stories that actually happened tell us? They show that the market is like a casino—some people win, and some people lose everything and end up broke.

What I want to say is: **Truly successful investors fundamentally think about how to survive longer, not how to win faster.** After years of experience in this market, I’ve learned a few harsh lessons.

**About Leverage**

In my early days, I was also obsessed with leverage. An account with 20x leverage, making five-figure gains in a day, was common. I even proudly nicknamed myself "Market Hunter." But what happened? A sudden policy change swept through, and my account was wiped out in just two hours.

Leverage is like a double-edged sword: it can amplify your gains, but it can also magnify your losses to an unbearable level. Here’s a sobering statistic—traders using 3x or higher leverage have a 72% chance of losing money during volatile market conditions. In other words, most people just aren’t good at playing with leverage.

The principle of leverage in physics is simple, but in financial markets, leverage can be endlessly tricky. When you bet on the right direction, it’s fine; but once you go the wrong way, losses snowball faster and faster.

My current approach is straightforward: I keep the leverage on my trading account always capped at 3x, and no single coin position exceeds 5%. That’s not being cowardly; it’s understanding a simple truth—**only by staying alive do you have a chance to make money.**

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ChainMaskedRider

· 01-06 02:44

Leverage is truly the fastest way to cut leeks; those who go all-in with 20x leverage are probably still paying off their debts haha. --- Thinking about it now still makes me shudder. Earning five figures in a single day was really exhilarating, but then a single limit-down wiped it all out—that's the crypto world. --- That's right, living is a thousand times more important than making quick money. Some people get greedy and just dive in. --- A 72% loss probability and still daring to play with high leverage is really asking for death. I've seen too many stories of margin calls. --- I've read this kind of article several times; the core message is—don't be reckless, living longer makes you the real winner. --- It seems most beginners have to go through a margin call to understand this truth—painful lessons, brother. --- A 3x leverage with 5% position size is a stable setup; it’s just a bit slow to make profits, but it definitely lasts longer. --- Some people really treat leverage like an ATM machine; sooner or later, they have to pay it back with interest.

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DAOdreamer

· 01-06 02:26

That's so true. I also got carried away with 20x leverage back then, but one black swan event wiped everything out. That's the best lesson. --- Living longer is the key. I'm now sticking to 3x leverage and holding on, anyway, earning slowly is better than getting liquidated. --- I've heard the story of that post-95 guy many times. Now no one really believes it, but still, some keep falling into the same trap. --- Leverage is like poison, especially in a bear market. It looks like you can make quick money, but you're actually playing with fire. --- Rather than trying to earn as much as possible quickly, I now focus on surviving until the next bull market. Lowering my position size has actually improved my sleep quality.

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Liquidated_Larry

· 01-03 14:50

So how is the post-95 guy doing now? Is he still alive? --- 20x leverage is truly a poison. I've seen too many accounts wiped out in two hours. --- To put it simply, being alive is more important than making money, but no one believes it. --- 3x leverage with 5% position size—that's when you really understand how to play. --- The dream of getting rich overnight is really harmful, more addictive than gambling. --- A 72% loss probability—this data is painfully real. --- You can only make money if you're still alive. This should be written in every trader's mind. --- There are countless ways leverage can trap you, but getting wiped out only takes two hours. --- I also went from being a "market hunter" to the useless person I am now. --- The crypto world is just an amplifier of human greed; no one can escape it.

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ProposalManiac

· 01-03 14:43

I've seen too many "market hunters" end up as "account liquidators." The 72% loss probability data actually reflects a flaw in the mechanism design— in markets where the risk compensation mechanism clearly fails, high leverage essentially amounts to playing a zero-sum game. Those who truly survive in the end are those who see themselves as participants requiring long-term incentive compatibility, rather than gamblers.

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ArbitrageBot

· 01-03 14:38

That's so true, being alive is the most important thing. So how are the post-95s doing now? --- 20x leverage "Market Hunter," sounds like a suicide trade, but luckily you survived. --- Really, how many people in the crypto world have died from leverage, yet still happily think they're geniuses. --- I copied the 3x leverage with 5% position size; it's much more reliable than dreaming of getting rich every day. --- Listening to stories of getting rich overnight is enough; if you take it seriously, you'll just lose. --- A 72% loss probability is heartbreaking data, indicating that most of us are part of that 72%. --- Only by staying alive can you make money; this really hits home—how many people are unable to survive or die trying. --- Leverage is just an accelerator for gamblers; I believe in turning to ashes in 2 hours, have seen worse. --- The part about inverse losses is too extreme; snowballing downward, it simply can't stop. --- Whether or not to arbitrage, as long as you're alive, it's a victory.

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quiet_lurker

· 01-03 14:35

I've also experienced the wave of 20x leverage, the feeling of being wiped out in two hours... But to be honest, being alive is a thousand times more important than winning.

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GateUser-addcaaf7

· 01-03 14:31

Living is making money. I've also played with 20x leverage, and the feeling of being wiped out in two hours is truly intense.

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