his should be mandatory reading before touching futuresb Rules 15–19 = survival rules not “tips.” If you can’t follow these, leverage is not for you Period

If you leverage trade $BTC , $ETH or any other altcoin, then you need to read this rules👇. Rules 15-19 are very very important
Mid last year, I was in a position many of you might recognize: I needed capital to fund a business venture. I was looking for a "fast" way to get the funds. A friend suggested leverage trading(Note: I have never leverage traded before this time), with assurance of getting the liquidity.
It was a disastrous move.
Without a strategy or an understanding of the dynamics, I lost over $1,000 in a heartbeat. I wasn't trading; I was gambling with money I couldn't afford to lose. Just yesterday on one of my articles here, I saw a comment from a reader pleading for help because he/she had lost all to leverage trading.
The market doesn't care about your business plans or your desperation. It only responds to discipline. To save you from the same fate, I’ve compiled the 20 Essential Rules for Leverage and Futures Trading, gathered from my own hard-learned lessons and and reading after top traders in the space.
Rules of Capital Preservation
1. The 10% Deployment Rule
Never commit more than 10% of your total portfolio to active trades. If things go south, 90% of your wealth remains intact to fight another day.
2. The Law of Risk: Protect Capital First
Your primary job isn't to make money; it's to protect what you have. If a trade puts your "survival" at risk, it is a bad trade, regardless of the potential profit.
3. Be Content with 1% – 5% Daily
Depending on your liquidity, a 1% to 5% return on your capital per day is a massive win. Compounded, this beats almost any traditional investment. Stop using crazy leverage.
4. Avoid the "New Pair" Trap
Do not trade newly listed pairs on futures. They lack historical data, are prone to extreme volatility, and are often used by whales to exit positions on retail traders.
Psychology Rules
5. Never Revenge Trade
If the market takes money from you, don't try to "take it back" immediately. Trading while angry or frustrated leads to doubled positions and tripled losses.
6. Kill the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
If a coin has already pumped 40%, you missed the entry. Don't "ape in" because you see others posting green PnL screenshots on X (Twitter).
7. Don't Trade Under Pressure
If you are trading because you need to pay rent or fund a business (like I was), you will make emotional decisions. Trade only when you are financially and mentally "light."
8. The Law of Patience
No setup = No trade. If the market doesn't give you a clear entry signal that fits your strategy, stay on the sidelines. Sitting in cash is also a position.
9. Do Not Ape in for KOLs
Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) often have different entry prices and risk tolerances than you. Never enter a position just because an influencer posted it as a call, a lot of people have been wrecked from this.
Execution Rules
10. Trade with the Trend
The "Law of Trend" is simple: don't try to catch a falling knife or short a parabolic moon-mission. It’s easier to swim with the current than against it. So trade the trend. James Wynn lost millions of $$ doing this.
11. Understand the Narrative
Do not enter a trade if you don’t understand the narrative behind the price action. Technicals are great, but the story (AI, RWA, Memes) drives the volume.
12. Always Take Profits.
Always take profit when TP is hit. Take profit and rest. Don't immediately put the funds in the market again.
13. One Entry, One Trade
Do not enter the same trade twice (averaging down) unless it was part of your original plan. Usually, "doubling down" is just a way to accelerate liquidation.
14. Journal Every Trade
Write down why you entered, how you felt, and why you exited. You cannot improve what you do not measure.
Appetite Rule
If you haven't noticed a pattern yet, these final rules are the most important because they address the #1 killer of accounts.
15. Don’t be greedy. (Seriously. Take the profit when it’s there.)
16. Don’t be greedy. (Don’t use 50x or 100x leverage just because you can.)
17. Don’t be greedy. (Don’t stay in a winning trade until it turns into a losing one.)
18. Don’t be greedy. (Respect your stop-losses.)
19. Don’t be greedy. (The market will be here tomorrow; make sure your capital is too.)
Finally, I know it is hard to follow every rule every day. I’m still improving, and you will too. But remember: the difference between a trader and a gambler is a system. Stick to these 19 rules, and you will keep staying afloat.