Having traded for eight years, with a total profit of over 30 million. Looking back, many people struggle for a year or two in this market and still hesitate just outside the million-dollar mark. It's not a lack of opportunities, but a lack of methodology.

The following ten rules are insights I’ve gained through losses in the seven-figure range and countless sleepless nights watching the markets. Some are hard truths, some seem obvious, but execution often determines the final outcome.

**First Rule: Small Capital, Big Patience**

When your principal is no more than 50,000, don’t think about frequent trading. One decent main wave per year is enough. Those who chase highs and sell lows all day are essentially trading time for illusory security. The wait may be uncomfortable, but it’s far more cost-effective than repeatedly making mistakes.

**Second Rule: Practice on a Demo Account**

Run through at least 100 complete trading cycles on a virtual account. This isn’t a waste of time but a preliminary test of your understanding. Once real trading begins, it offers no second chances for rookies.

**Third Rule: Exit When Good News Is Fully Priced In**

The best time to exit is often on the day major positive news is announced. Don’t be tempted by the next day’s high open—that’s usually a gentle trap set for those who react slowly. When news is hottest, it’s often when the big players quietly offload.

**Fourth Rule: Keep Positions Light Before Holidays**

Historical data shows that traders holding over 70% of their positions before a holiday experience an average retreat of about 23% afterward. Liquidity dries up sharply during holidays, and even the strongest logic can falter under selling pressure.

**Fifth Rule: Segment Mid-term Operations**

Always keep 30% cash on hand. Use support and resistance levels to cut positions in waves; don’t expect to eat the whole fish in one go. Greedy traders often end up gnawing on fish bones.

**Sixth Rule: Only Trade Liquidity-Rich Assets for Short-term**

Exclude coins ranked in the bottom 50% by daily trading volume. Short-term trading is essentially dancing with liquidity; struggling in illiquid markets only deepens losses.

**Seventh Rule: The Speed of Decline Hides the Secret of Rebound**

Slow declines often accompany long bottoming processes, but rapid crashes can lead to violent rebounds. This is a market sentiment thermometer and an important reference for identifying bottoms.

**Eighth Rule: Stop-Loss Is the Bottom Line for Survival**

Exit a position if it hits a 3% loss. Smoothing the account curve is always more important than winning or losing a single trade. This is about doing long-term business, not gambling on a single shot.

**Ninth Rule: 15-Minute Chart Combined with KDJ Is Most Practical**

Want to catch intraday opportunities? This timeframe is enough. Use larger cycles to determine direction, smaller cycles to find entry points—simple and effective.

**Tenth Rule: Depth Is Much More Valuable Than Breadth**

Master the moving average system thoroughly; it’s far more effective than trying ten different indicators superficially. In a zero-sum game like crypto markets, mastering one skill is enough to outsmart others.

Looking back, all these rules are built on lessons learned from pitfalls and bloodshed. The difficulty in markets isn’t learning new things but having the courage to overturn old beliefs. Many are stuck just below the million-dollar threshold not because of poor cognition, but due to lack of execution and discipline.

The structural opportunities in top cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH are always the most worth studying. Not for quick riches (the market never guarantees that), but to systematically use methodology to tilt probabilities in your favor. Making discipline a habit already puts you ahead of 90% of traders.