Trading accounts are not casinos; chips cannot be wagered arbitrarily.

Recently, I heard a story about a beginner in a group chat. Within just a few days of entering the circle, he went all-in with 800 USDT, and in three days, he was down to two digits. At one point, he wanted to uninstall the trading app. Such situations are actually quite common. New players with small capital often think about "turning things around in one shot," only to become victims of market manipulation and "harvesting" retail investors.

Having been in this circle for many years, the most important lesson I’ve learned is: the smaller the account, the more you need to understand the word "slow." Last year, a friend of mine had only 500 USDT left in his account, and his hands were trembling, unable to press the trade button. I didn’t tell him any complicated techniques; I only said one thing: "Don’t think about doubling your money first, just focus on staying alive."

Three months later, he reported that his account had grown to 18,000 USDT. The entire process involved zero liquidation, and he didn’t even touch his additional funds. This isn’t luck; it’s because three "life-saving principles" were secretly protecting him. Now I share these ideas, which are especially useful for beginners with capital below a thousand USDT.

**Rule 1: Divide your funds into three parts and don’t bet everything at once**

The most common mistake beginners make is betting everything on a single trade, thinking that since they don’t have much money, they might as well gamble big once. But the market loves to punish this kind of thinking—one wrong move, and the account is gone.

I advised my friend to allocate his 500 USDT as follows:

The first part, 150 USDT, for short-term trading, only trading mainstream coins, and taking profits at 3%-5%. The goal isn’t to get rich quickly but to maintain a trading feel.

The second part, 150 USDT, for swing trading, waiting for clear entry signals on the daily chart, such as a significant volume breakout or support level confirmation. This portion can be held longer but with a proper stop-loss set.

The third part, 200 USDT, as defensive funds, which are never used unless the first two parts are completely compromised. It’s like leaving a backup plan for yourself.

What’s the benefit of this division? Even if the short-term part is wiped out or the swing trading part gets liquidated, he still has 200 USDT to restart, rather than being completely out of the game.