The night I got liquidated, I stared blankly at the 37 USDT left in my account.

At the tail end of the 2023 bear market, I took my only 1200 USDT and jumped into the market, thinking I’d catch the “bottom” as ETH dropped from 1800 to 1600. All in, 20x leverage, went all out. The result? One wick, and my account went straight to double digits.

It was at that moment I realized: in this market, survival is more important than anything else.

## How to survive with a small bankroll? The answer: don’t fire all your bullets at once

After scraping together another 500 USDT to start over, I made a decision—I’d use only 200 USDT for testing the waters.

When ETH rebounded to 2200 this March, I opened a 10x leverage position with that 200 USDT, and left the other 300 USDT in spot as a base. I set a strict rule for myself: maximum loss per trade is 100 USDT, and if I make 500 USDT, I cash out immediately.

What does a 5:1 risk/reward ratio mean? It means you can be wrong three times, but as long as you’re right once, you break even.

In April, when ETH pulled back to 1900, all the “all-in” traders who laughed at me for being too conservative got liquidated. My account? Instead, it steadily grew by 200 USDT.

## Not every market move is worth trading

90% of crypto volatility is just noise.

This May, when BTC was ranging around $60,000, I just waited. I waited for 12 whole days, until it truly broke past the $62,000 resistance, and then I went in with 300 USDT. Price went up to $65,000? I got out, netting a profit of 900 USDT.

What does it mean to “understand the market”? It means you know where the support is, where the resistance is, and where to set your stop-loss. If you don’t get it, don’t touch it. Otherwise, it’s just blind guessing.

## Stop-loss isn’t defeat—it’s survival

I now have a hard rule for myself: maximum loss per trade is 80 USDT.

Last November, when SOL suddenly tanked, my long position just touched the stop-loss line. I closed the position immediately, no hesitation. Then I watched it crash another 30%.

What if I had stubbornly held on? At that time, I had just grown my account to 10,000 USDT—it would have been cut in half instantly.

## Unrealized profits are just numbers—locking in gains is real money

This August, when my account hit 5,000 USDT, I immediately withdrew 1,200 USDT and put it into cold storage.

Don’t think it’s little—this money was exactly what gave me the guts to catch the dip during the BTC crash in September with the rest of my funds.

My rule: every time profits grow by 50%, withdraw 25% and stash it away. Always leave yourself a way out.

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Now my account has rolled up to seven figures, and looking back on that desperate night with only 37 USDT, I understand one thing:

Whether 1200 USDT can make a comeback never depends on the size of your capital. The key is whether you stick to your discipline.

Don’t get cocky when you’re winning, don’t panic when you’re losing. Be patient when you need to wait, and cut losses decisively when you have to. Those who survive in crypto long-term rely on one thing: respect for the market.

If you’re trading with small capital, don’t dream of getting rich overnight. Learn to survive in this market first; there will be plenty of opportunities ahead.