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Chapter 3 · Advanced/TipsLesson 1 of 12
3.1

Why Do My Trades Keep Losing? Check Your Metrics, Discipline, and Playstyle

± 4 min read 4 sections

You've learned the metrics, you've tried trading, but your balance keeps going down? Usually the problem isn't just "picking the wrong token". This lesson helps you find where things are going wrong. Point number 3 is the one people forget most often.

Section 1 / 4

1. Understand the Metrics First (Basic)

  • Metrics are things like , , , and so on. They're all covered in Chapter 2 (starting at lesson 2.1, summed up in the lesson 2.14 checklist).
  • All-green metrics are not a guarantee that a token is good. On the other hand, lots of tokens with "bad" metrics can still run.
  • So what's the point? By understanding metrics, you know how big the is on the token you want to buy. That lets you set your position size and know when to get out.
Section 2 / 4

2. Stop Being Greedy, Train Your Discipline

  • Lots of people lose in the market not because they don't know enough, but because they're greedy: not taking profit, adding to a position while emotional, or buying a coin that has already flown way up.
  • This is hard to change just by reading theory or motivation. The only one who can beat it is you, and how you do it is different for everyone. Lots of traders only become truly disciplined after feeling a loss themselves. That's why small losses are part of learning, as long as you log and review them (lesson 3.4).
  • Discipline also goes hand in hand with money management: money per trade, a loss limit, and a plan. Covered in lesson 3.3.
Section 3 / 4

3. Pick Your Playstyle (Most Often Forgotten)

There are lots of playstyles in Solana trading. If you don't know which "pool" you're playing in yet, your analysis will be all over the place, and it's hard to tell where you went wrong.

  1. Decide which (MC) range you want to play. For example:
    • Small MC that hasn't bonded yet (still on the )
    • After migration (after )
    • Hundreds of thousands of dollars
    • Millions of dollars

    Each MC range plays differently, and gets analyzed differently too.

  2. Decide whether you want to play or tech (ICM/utility). What makes them / is different (full traits in lesson 1.8):
    • Tech / ICM / utility: look at the developer, the technology, locked tokens, and so on.
    • Meme: look at the community, the narrative, and how viral it is.
  3. Focus on learning the playstyle you picked. Example: you pick tech tokens that are still new pairs at an MC of about 1K to 40K. Follow X accounts that play in the same area, and track with similar plays (lessons 3.2 and 3.5).
  4. Review using that playstyle. If you take a loss, it's easier to see what went wrong and how to fix it, because your yardstick is clear.

Not sure which one fits you yet? Try a few styles first with small money (or use the demo in lesson 1.2), feel which one is most comfortable, then go deeper on it.

Summary

Summary

Summary
  • Understand metrics to measure risk, not to guess which token will pump.
  • Beat greed with discipline and money management (lesson 3.3), and log your losses to review them (lesson 3.4).
  • Pick a playstyle (MC range, meme or tech) so your analysis and reviews stay focused.
Section 4 / 4

Common mistakes

  • Analysis all over the place because you haven't picked which "pool" to play in.
  • Adding to a position while emotional, or buying a coin that has already flown way up.
  • Forcing a strategy that doesn't fit the way you play.

In the market, what we're after is the smallest possible risk. A clear playstyle lets you know what risk you're taking, instead of just following your urges.

Next up, lesson 3.2: Wallet Tracking: The Basics.

Not financial advice.

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