Having survived three years in the altcoin contract battlefield, I have finally given up on the dream of overnight riches. Living is far more difficult than chasing quick profits.

In the beginning, I was like most people—jealous when I saw others posting tenfold or hundredfold returns. Stories of a single needle reversal or a round of surge that completely changed lives were everywhere. But every time I followed the trend and jumped in, my account balance felt like a roller coaster ride, often ending in liquidation. I later realized that altcoin contracts are not about how strong your technical analysis is, but about who can hold onto their principal amidst the storm.

Here are three ironclad rules I’ve developed that have saved me more than once:

**Rule 1: Don’t bottom-fish, just follow the trend**
Falling altcoins look like bottomless pits. "It’s already dropped so much, it should rebound, right?"—this idea has killed countless people. I’ve seen coins drop 60% and keep falling, only to be cut in half again and again. Now I only consider entering when two conditions are met: the price breaks through a key resistance level and an upward structure appears on the daily chart. Paying a higher price to enter isn’t the problem; the real issue is gambling on a bottom that doesn’t exist.

**Rule 2: Position size is your lifeline**
No matter how optimistic you are about a coin, never open a single position exceeding 5% of your total funds. The volatility of altcoins can mess with your mind—being heavily leveraged will cause your strategy to collapse before your mental state can handle it. Using small positions to maintain continuous trading opportunities means as long as you have bullets and are still at the table, the chance to turn things around always exists.

**Rule 3: Exit when the time is up**
The biggest mistake in altcoin contracts is treating short-term trading as value investing. I set strict rules for myself: after opening a position, either make a profit within three days or the trend meets expectations; otherwise, close the position decisively. Many people are reluctant to cut losses, only to watch their profits evaporate or even get liquidated directly. Admitting mistakes and exiting promptly is a hundred times more advanced than stubbornly holding onto the hope of a reversal.

Why has this approach kept me alive? Because it avoids the three most deadly risks: giving up on bottom-fishing to avoid "flying knives," small positions prevent emotional shocks from dips and dumps, and setting stop-losses eliminates emotional holding.

What’s the cost? Missing out on many so-called "ten-bagger" coins. But in return, I’ve avoided all the zeroing traps. The rules of the altcoin contract game are actually very simple: it’s not about catching the biggest opportunities, but about using strict discipline to harvest the most certain profits.

In this market, simply surviving is already a competitive advantage. Let go of the fantasy of getting rich overnight, focus on losing less and earning more, and over time, patience will become your strongest ally.