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Chapter 2 · Basics: Check a Token Before You BuyLesson 4 of 16
2.4

Top 10 Holders

± 3 min read 5 sections 4 images

Contract checks all green? Now check who holds the . Remember one thing: metrics are not for guessing which token will . They're for reducing . In the author's experience (opinion), most tokens in new pairs end up rugging, so you trade the momentum, not hold for long.

Section 1 / 5

What is Top 10?

Top 10 is the percentage of supply held by the 10 biggest . The bigger the number, the easier it is for a handful of wallets to crash the price.

Token metrics card on GMGN: red box on Top 10 27.01%, the total supply held by the 10 biggest wallets. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
Token metrics card on GMGN: red box on Top 10 27.01%, the total supply held by the 10 biggest wallets. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
Section 2 / 5

How to check

  1. Look at the Top 10 number on the GMGN metrics card. This course's guide: below 30% = lower risk. Whatever the number, the risk is still there.
  2. Remember: the pool isn't counted in Top 10. In the tab, the pool sits at the top (a water icon, for example Pump AMM).
    Top holder list: ① row #1 Pump AMM is the pool, not a person, so don't count it. ② From holder #2 down are regular wallets, check their percentage in the Remaining column. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
    Top holder list: ① row #1 Pump AMM is the pool, not a person, so don't count it. ② From holder #2 down are regular wallets, check their percentage in the Remaining column. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
  3. Double-check in the Holders tab. Some platforms sometimes miscount: locked tokens get counted, or get left out.
  4. Are there locked tokens? While they're locked, they can't be sold yet. Hover over the padlock icon: check the days left until unlock and what percentage is locked.
    ① Padlock icon on a holder row, ② tooltip Next Unlock 3.42% · 27d: part of the tokens is locked (through Streamflow) and this is when it unlocks. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
    ① Padlock icon on a holder row, ② tooltip Next Unlock 3.42% · 27d: part of the tokens is locked (through Streamflow) and this is when it unlocks. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
Section 3 / 5

A small Top 10 doesn't always mean low risk

Top 10 can look small while the supply is split across many wallets owned by one person. So don't rely on a single metric: validate it in the Holders tab (the Funding / column, lesson 2.6) and check vs (lesson 2.10).

Validating in the Holders tab: ① each holder's Remaining percentage, ② the Funding / TF Amount column (where that wallet got its SOL). GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
Validating in the Holders tab: ① each holder's Remaining percentage, ② the Funding / TF Amount column (where that wallet got its SOL). GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation.
Section 4 / 5

Green flags & Red flags

Green flags

  • Top 10 below 30% and the Holders tab looks varied.

Red flags

  • One wallet (other than the pool) holds a big share.
  • Lots of holders with similar amounts and the same funding.
  • Locked tokens about to unlock in a large amount.

Note (the author's experience): a Top 10 that's already red (above 30%) is riskier, but it's not an absolute rule, because sometimes the coin can still go up. Combine it with other checks (bubblemap, , Total Fee).

Summary

Summary

Summary
  • Top 10 = the percentage of supply in the 10 biggest wallets. The course's guide: below 30% = lower risk, but whatever the number, the risk is still there. Top 10 above 30% = bigger risk, not that the token can't pump.
  • The liquidity pool isn't counted in Top 10. Double-check in the Holders tab, because locked tokens sometimes get miscounted.
  • One metric isn't enough: validate it with Funding / TF Amount (lesson 2.6) and Total Fee vs MC (lesson 2.10).
Section 5 / 5

Common mistakes

  • Thinking a small Top 10 always means low risk, when the supply can be split across many wallets owned by one person.
  • Counting the pool (for example Pump AMM) as a regular holder.
  • Forgetting to check locked tokens that are about to unlock in a large amount.

Holdings piled into a few wallets = bigger risk. Pick the lowest risk, not the one that makes your mouth water.
Next up, lesson 2.5: / Tokens Locked.
Not financial advice.

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