Making money in the crypto market isn’t as mystical as people make it out to be. A lot of people spend all day studying complex indicators, but in the end, sticking to a few basic principles works better.

To put it simply, the market is filtering people every day. Those who survive don’t rely on advanced techniques, but on mastering the simple things.

**First, three survival rules**

Don’t chase pumps — this is the easiest rule to break. See a coin skyrocketing and feel the itch? Resist it. Jumping into a crowd almost always ends badly. Where are the real opportunities? Picking up coins in batches when the market has wrongly beaten them down and no one’s paying attention.

Don’t hold and hope — “It’s not a loss until you sell” is the most poisonous advice. Set a stop-loss, like getting out if you’re down 5%, and don’t hesitate. Your capital is a thousand times more important than your ego.

Don’t go all in — Always leave yourself an escape route. The market isn’t short on opportunities; what’s missing is ammo. If you’re fully invested and locked in, even the best opportunity will just leave you watching from the sidelines.

**How to play short-term? Go with the flow**

Trends are more reliable than predictions. After consolidating at a high and then surging with volume, there’s probably more to come; if it’s dragging along at a low, it might go lower. If you can’t see the direction, waiting on the sidelines is the best strategy.

Sentiment is useful. When the market crashes and everyone’s panicking, that’s the time to start buying in batches. After a big rally and everyone is hyping, it’s time to start selling in batches. K-line logic is simple: Don’t rush in after a big green candle, and don’t panic after a big red one.

Use a pyramid model to build positions — heaviest at the bottom, add less as prices rise. Or just buy in batches, never all at once. Even if you’re wrong, the loss is manageable.

**When it comes to mindset, slow is actually faster**

Frequent trading just makes you a wage slave for the exchanges.

What’s the real logic to making money? Spot the opportunity, build your position in batches, hold with patience, and exit decisively when it’s time. That’s the cycle.

Missing a rally isn’t scary. What’s scary is getting on the wrong train and losing all your capital.

This approach isn’t exciting, but it keeps you in the game longer. And in crypto, surviving is half the victory.