#Strategy加仓比特币 From $1,200 to $23,000, then to a rupture—a blood and tears account history about trading discipline

What is the most common mistake rookie crypto traders make? Going all-in.

I once saw a young guy with $1,200 starting capital, repeatedly going all-in on Dogecoin, losing everything twice in two days, even losing his rent money. I decided to give him a hand, but only on the condition—he had to follow the rules.

**First line of defense: The three-part fund division**

Divide $1,200 into three parts, each with its own purpose. $300 for intraday trading, taking profits at 5% and exiting—don’t aim for the sky; just take what’s good. Another $300 is dedicated to key support levels, only entering on volume breakthroughs, never chasing the high. The last $200 is frozen—this is the last life-saving fund. He was skeptical at first until he saw a colleague blow up their account with an all-in, then he truly understood.

**Second line of defense: Follow the trend, rest during sideways markets**

During consolidation, I forced him to go to the gym and turn off trading apps. Just like ADA’s repeated sideways moves, I kept telling him to hold back, wait for volume breakout signals before acting. Eventually, he caught an 18% gain. During this period, I had a strict rule: once profits exceed 15%, immediately transfer some to the bank to lock in gains and prevent unrealized profits from turning into unrealized losses.

**Third line of defense: Is stop-loss an option? No, it’s a must**

Every trade must have a 3% stop-loss—this is not a suggestion, it’s a bottom line. When profits exceed 8%, exit to lock in gains and ensure survival. Once he tried to cancel a stop-loss on LTC to gamble, I showed him a screenshot of his previous blow-up. That night, LTC was halved. He finally understood—cutting losses to save your life isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom.

Four months of sticking to this logic, his account soared to $23,000.

Then he got cocky.

After crossing $20,000, he threw all discipline into the trash, went all-in chasing MEME coins, and before he knew it, his principal halved again. He sent me a long apology message. I didn’t respond, just blocked him, leaving only eight words—discipline is the key to survival.

Newcomers in crypto often mistakenly think making money is about luck. It’s not. Making money depends on those seemingly annoying rules: no all-in, no chasing highs, setting stop-losses, regularly locking profits. These things have no glamour, but they guarantee you can stay in the game. The most arrogant people are always taught a lesson by the market—that’s the most expensive tuition.