Forge Crypto University

Think of the blockchain like a giant public notebook:

• Every transaction = a line in the notebook.
• Once written → permanent.
• Verified by thousands of computers (nodes).

Benefits:

• Trustless: The system works even if you don’t trust other users.
• Transparent: You can track any transaction.
• Permanent: No edits, no deletes.
• Decentralized: No single authority controls it.

Popular chains:

• Bitcoin – OG digital money.
• Ethereum – Smart contracts & DeFi.
• Solana – Fast & cheap, great for memes & on-chain apps.
• BNB Chain – Popular for launches and meme coins.

Types of Crypto:

• Meme Coin: Fun, hype, community-driven (DOGE, SHIB, PEPE).
• Altcoin: Any crypto that isn’t Bitcoin.
• Utility Coin: Has a function (fees, voting, features).
• Stablecoin: Stays around $1 (USDT, USDC).
• Reward Token: Gives holders reflections, yield, or bonuses.

Regular Wallet (human-controlled):

• Moves frequently (sending, receiving, trading).
• Shows up in holder lists as a normal address.

Locked Contract / LP Wallet:

• Code-based (smart contract), not a person.
• Holds liquidity or tokens with specific rules.
• Often uses services like Unicrypt, Team.Finance, Mudra.

How to spot them:

• Open the token on DEXScreener.
• Click Holders.
• Look for addresses labeled “Contract”, “LP” or tied to locking services.

Core slang you’ll see everywhere:

• DYOR: Do Your Own Research. Don’t just buy because someone shilled it.
• FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out – buying because everyone else is, not because you researched.
• HODL: Hold long-term, ignore small dips.
• Buy the Dip: Buy when price drops.
• Bag: The amount of a coin you hold.
• Whale: Someone who holds a huge amount of crypto and can move the market.
• Ape / Aping in: Jumping into a coin without much research, going all in.
• Degen: “Degenerate trader” – takes high-risk bets, chases crazy gains.
• Rugpull / Rug: When creators pull the liquidity / funds and disappear – classic scam.
• Honeypot: Token you can buy but can’t sell. Your money is stuck.
• Market cap: Total value of a coin = price × circulating supply.
• Liquidity Pool (LP): Stash of coins used to make trading possible on DEXs.
• Supercycle: A big, long-lasting uptrend in crypto markets.
• Alpha: Early / insider-style knowledge that could make you money.
• Alpha calls / plays: Tips or setups people share for coins they think will blow up.
• Pump n dump: Hype a coin to pump price, then dump on late buyers.
• Paperhands / Jeets: Sell too early for small profit or loss – scared money.
• Diamond Hands: Hold through volatility for potential big gains.
• Dev: The developer or team behind the project.
• Sniper: Person or bot that buys a token instantly at launch.
• CA (Contract Address): Unique ID of a token on-chain – like its social security number.
• Bot: Software that trades automatically, often via Telegram, usually faster than humans.
• “It’s on Solana”: Just means the token lives on the Solana chain (fast + cheap fees).
• M: Shorthand for “million” most of the time (e.g., 10M market cap).
• Exit liquidity: The people buying while insiders are dumping – left holding the bag.
• Ticker: Short symbol for a coin (e.g., BTC, SOL, $PEPE).
• BubbleMap: Visual tool that shows wallet/coin relationships and clusters.
• Supply: Total number of coins that exist for a token.
• Burned supply: Coins permanently destroyed / sent to dead wallet to reduce supply.
• 2x, 5x, 100x: Multipliers of your investment – 2x = double, 100x = 100× your money.
• KOL: Key Opinion Leader – influencers who move narratives. (Still DYOR.)
• DEX: Decentralized Exchange – trade crypto without a centralized middleman.
• DexScreener: Tool that tracks coins, pairs, and volume across many DEXs.
• PNL: Profit and Loss – how much you’ve made or lost.
• Derisk: Take profit, move to stablecoins, or reduce bag size to lower risk.

Extra degen phrases:

• Wen Lambo: “When are we rich?” Meme about mooning.
• WAGMI: We’re All Gonna Make It.
• NGMI: Not Gonna Make It.
• Send It: Buy it / push the price up hard.
• IYKYK: If You Know, You Know – inside joke / alpha only some get.

Apps:

• Telegram – Crypto groups & dev chats.
• X (Twitter) – Live news, dev updates & hype.
• CoinGecko / CoinMarketCap – Token listings & basic stats.
• DEXScreener – Charts & liquidity info.
• Phantom (Sol), MetaMask (ETH) – Wallets.
• Crypto.com, Coinbase – Buy with fiat.
• CapCut, Canva – Editing/graphics.

Step-by-step:

• Download an exchange app (Crypto.com / Coinbase).
• Create account → verify email, phone, ID.
• Buy ETH or SOL.
• Download a wallet (Phantom for Sol, MetaMask for ETH).
• Withdraw from exchange to wallet: paste your wallet address → send.
• Go to a DEX: Uniswap (ETH), Raydium or Jupiter (Solana).
• Paste the token contract → choose token → approve → swap.

How liquidity disappears:

• Liquidity = money in the pool.
• Buying raises the “water level.”
• Selling lowers it.
• Rug pull: Dev yanks liquidity → price nukes instantly.

Checking if liquidity is locked:

• On DEXScreener, check the liquidity / info panel.
• Look for lock links on services like UNCX or Team.Finance.
• Find a “locked until” date – and how much is locked.
• No lock + dev owns most LP = danger zone.

Custodial Wallets: Exchange controls your keys.

• Examples: Crypto.com, Coinbase.
• Easy to start; bad if exchange freezes or gets hacked.

Non-Custodial Wallets: You control the keys.

• Examples: Phantom, MetaMask.
• You own the private key & seed phrase – total control, total responsibility.

Seed Phrase:

• Master key to your wallet.
• Anyone with it can drain your funds.
• Never share it. No dev, admin or “support” needs it. Ever.

Custodial Exchange vs. Exchange Wallet vs. Personal Crypto Wallet

1. Custodial Exchange (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, etc.)

• Think of this as a bank for your crypto.
• You buy, sell, and trade crypto on the platform.
• They hold your crypto for you – you don’t control the private keys.
• If the exchange shuts down, freezes withdrawals, or gets hacked, your crypto is at risk.
• Super easy to use, but you’re trusting a company to hold your assets.

2. Exchange Wallet (your balance inside the exchange)

• This is basically the “account balance” you see when it says “You have 1.2 SOL”.
• It means the exchange owes you that crypto – you still don’t get the private keys.
• It’s 100% custodial: the exchange controls everything.
• You can’t use it to sign transactions or interact with DeFi / dapps.
• Convenient, but not real ownership.

3. Personal Crypto Wallet (Phantom, MetaMask, Backpack, Ledger, etc.)

• This is real crypto ownership.
• You control the private keys or seed phrase.
• You can send, receive, trade, mint, launch coins – whatever the chain allows.
• No middleman; no permission needed.
• Works with DeFi, NFTs, launchpads, games, and everything on-chain.
• If you lose the keys, you lose access – there’s no “forgot password” button.

🔑 The real difference in one sentence:

Custodial exchanges keep your crypto for you. Personal wallets put you fully in control.

🎯 The Degen Summary

• Exchange: “We got you bro, trust us.”
• Exchange Wallet: “Here’s your balance… kinda.”
• Personal Wallet: “You’re the bank now. Don’t lose the keys.”

• Never share or type your seed phrase into any website.
• Double-check contract addresses before buying.
• Avoid random links, airdrop claims, and unsolicited DMs.
• Use burner wallets for risky meme plays.
• Verify official Telegram groups & pinned messages.
• Use TokenSniffer / RugCheck plus Solscan/Etherscan for basic checks.
• Always DYOR: website, whitepaper, socials, LP lock, holder distribution.

Rug Pull: Dev pulls liquidity instantly → token goes to near zero.

Slow Rug: Liquidity is drained gradually so people don’t notice right away.

Scam: Fake project, fake hype, fake promises. Usually:

• Copied website or whitepaper.
• Anonymous team with no history.
• Unrealistic guarantees (“risk free 100x”, “guaranteed APY”).

• Liquidity Pool (LP): The pot of money used for swapping your token with SOL/ETH, etc.
• Burn: Tokens are permanently removed from supply.
• Taxes: Buy/sell percentages routed to marketing, rewards, devs, etc.
• Gas Fees: Network fees to process a transaction.

Examples: Maestro, Trojan, Sigma.

What they do:

• Auto-buy the second liquidity is added or trading is enabled.
• Can auto-sell based on rules or targets.

Pros:

• Fast, automated trades.
• Gives a chance at very early entry on launches.

Cons:

• Learning curve & config mistakes can be expensive.
• Early doesn’t mean safe – rugs nuke bots too.

• Wallet buy: Human reaction speed (2–15 seconds).
• Sniper bot: Scripted speed (~0.1–0.3 seconds).
• Reality: On fresh launches, bots win most front-row entries.

• Mint Authority: Can the dev still mint more tokens?
• Renounced Ownership: Has the owner given up control of the contract?
• Liquidity Lock: Is the LP locked and for how long?
• Honeypot Detection: Is selling blocked or heavily taxed?
• Hidden Taxes: Surprise % taken on buys or sells.
• Trading Cooldowns: Forced wait times between trades.
• Max Transaction Limit: Limits whale move size.
• Dangerous Permissions: Can dev pause trading, blacklist wallets, mint more, or drain LP?

• Telegram – Communities & alpha chats.
• X (Twitter) – Narratives, news, memes.
• TikTok – Short-form content & clips.
• DEXScreener – Live charts & LP info.
• CoinGecko / CoinMarketCap – Listings & links.
• Solscan, Etherscan – On-chain explorers.
• CapCut, Canva – Content & design.

This is your customization chapter: plug in your favorite builders, educators and degen callers.

• Mix YouTube, X, TikTok and Telegram.
• Follow some meme-degen callers for narrative awareness.
• Balance that with serious educators who explain tech & risk.

Team Wallets

• Check holders on explorers or DEXScreener.
• Early large wallets are often team / seed wallets.
• Watch: are they dumping, accumulating, or idle?

Wallets Connected by Liquidity

• LP wallets hold LP tokens.
• If multiple wallets add/remove LP together → probably the same team.

Smart Money Flow

• Use portfolio tools like DeBank and intel tools like Arkham Intelligence.
• Track early buys in successful projects.
• Study entry prices, exits, and repeat patterns.
• Add strong wallets to your watchlist & watch their next moves.

Copy trade example:

• Pro trader buys a token.
• Your bot copies the trade (same or scaled size).
• When they sell, your bot sells too.

Finding a “Crypto Chad”:

• Use DEXScreener → look at Top Buyers.
• Check which wallets consistently win entries & exits.
• Dig into their history to see patterns.
• Copy trade manually or with bots – with risk controls.

Memes & Graphics:

• CapCut – Quick edits, shorts, TikToks.
• Canva – Headers, infographics, posts.
• PhotoRoom – Clean PNG cutouts.

Websites:

• Wix, Dorik, Typedream – Easy landing pages.
• Shopify – Merch & ecom if your brand takes off.

Send Crypto:

• Open wallet → tap Send.
• Paste the address, choose token & amount → confirm.

Receive Crypto:

• Open wallet → tap Receive.
• Copy your address and share with sender.

Add Token:

• Copy the contract address.
• In wallet: “Add token / custom token” → paste contract.

Find Contract:

• Use DEXScreener, the project’s X or Telegram, or CoinGecko.

Check LP Lock / Safety:

• Use TokenSniffer and RugCheck for quick scans.
• Dig deeper on Solscan or EVM explorers.

Avoid Scams:

• Check liquidity, dev transparency, taxes & holders.
• Confirm socials and website are actually active.

DYOR (Do Your Own Research):

• Read the website & whitepaper.
• Look at LP lock, on-chain holders & top wallets.
• Only risk what you can afford to lose.

What Is Leverage Trading?

Leverage trading is borrowing extra money to make a bigger trade than what you actually have. Example: If you only have $100, but you use 10× leverage, you’re trading as if you have $1,000. It multiplies your potential profit… but it also multiplies your risk the exact same way.

💰 How Leverage Works

• Platforms (like Bybit, Binance Futures, Bitget) let you pick your leverage:
• 2× leverage = your trade size is doubled.
• 5× leverage = your trade is 5 times bigger.
• 10× leverage = 10 times bigger.
• 100× leverage = 100 times bigger (super risky degen mode).

You're basically saying: “I want to make a big trade with a small amount of my own money.”

📈 Example in Dollars (Easy to Understand)

• You put in $100.
• You choose 10× leverage.
• Your position becomes $1,000.
• If the price moves up 1%, your $1,000 position makes $10 profit → 10% gain on your $100.
• If the price goes down 1%, you lose $10 → also 10% of your own money.

More leverage = the price can move very tiny amounts and wipe you out.

☠️ The Danger: Liquidation

With spot trading: if you buy a coin, it can go down and you still own it.
With leverage trading: if the price moves against you too far, the exchange liquidates you.

• Liquidation = your trade closes automatically and you lose all the money you put in.
• The higher the leverage, the closer liquidation is.

Examples:

• At 2× leverage → price has to drop ~50% to liquidate you.
• At 10× leverage → only ~10% drop.
• At 50× leverage → a tiny ~2% move can wipe you out.
• At 100× leverage → even a sneeze can liquidate you.

🧲 Long vs Short (super simple)

• Long: price goes up, you profit. You’re betting the coin will rise.
• Short: price goes down, you profit. You’re betting the coin will drop.
• Both can be done with leverage.

🎯 Ultra-Simple Summary

• Leverage trading = borrowing money to trade bigger.
• Magnifies gains.
• Magnifies losses.
• Heavy liquidation risk.
• Not good for beginners.
• Used by degens and advanced traders who know risk management.

🔥 Degen summary for fun

• Spot trading: “If the price dips, you still hold.”
• Leverage trading: “If the price dips… you’re gone.”

1️⃣ Isolated Margin vs Cross Margin (Super Simple)

Isolated Margin

• Your leverage position is isolated to the exact money you put into that trade.
• If that trade gets liquidated, only that one position is lost.
• The rest of your account is safe.
• Think of it like: “Only this one trade is risking money — nothing else.”
• ✔️ Safer for beginners.
• ✔️ You control the exact amount you’re risking.
• ❌ If the trade goes bad, it closes fast because nothing else can save it.

Cross Margin

• All the money in your futures account is shared across all trades.
• If one trade drops, the platform will use the rest of your balance to keep it alive longer.
• If you get liquidated, you could lose your entire account, not just the trade.
• Think of it like: “All your trades are connected. One bad move can drain everything.”
• ✔️ Helps avoid liquidation for longer.
• ❌ Very risky — one trade can wipe your whole balance.

Most beginners should stick to: 👉 Isolated margin.

2️⃣ How Liquidation Works (Easy Math Version)

Liquidation happens when the price moves against your trade by a certain percent.

Super simple logic:

• Higher leverage = closer liquidation.
• Lower leverage = safer liquidation distance.

Example with 100 USDT:

• 2× leverage → liquidates around a 50% move.
• 5× leverage → around 20% move.
• 10× leverage → around 10% move.
• 20× leverage → around 5% move.
• 50× leverage → around 2% move.
• 100× leverage → around 1% move.

So on 100×, even a tiny wiggle can nuke your position.

3️⃣ How to Set a Stop-Loss (Beginner-Friendly)

A stop-loss is a safety exit that closes your trade before you lose too much.

How to set one:

• Look at the chart.
• Identify a level where the trade idea is invalid.
• Place your stop-loss slightly under that level (for longs) or above it (for shorts).

Example:

• You go long at $100, expecting the price to bounce.
• You see support at $95.
• If price breaks $95, your idea is wrong.
• So you set your stop-loss around $94.50.

When price hits that number, the trade closes automatically and you protect your bag.

Stop-loss = saving yourself from full liquidation.

4️⃣ Why Most People Lose Money With Leverage

Here’s the truth nobody wants to admit:

Most beginners lose because:

• They use too much leverage – 20×, 50×, 100× turns tiny price movements into instant liquidation.
• They don’t set a stop-loss – they “hope” the trade comes back. The market doesn’t care about hope.
• They overtrade – too many trades, emotional trades, revenge trades after a loss.
• They don’t understand volatility – crypto moves FAST; even 2–3% swings can nuke you on high leverage.
• They don’t have a plan – no entry plan, no exit plan, no risk management, just “up only vibes”.

The golden rule:

Leverage doesn’t kill people. Bad risk management does.

🎯 Ultra-Simple Summary of All 4

• Isolated = safer for beginners. Only that trade is at risk.
• Cross = risky. One trade can drain your whole account.
• Liquidation = higher leverage means you get liquidated faster.
• Stop-loss = your emergency exit to avoid a total wipe.
• Most people lose because they use too much leverage and no stop-loss.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index — What It Is & How to Actually Use It

The Fear & Greed Index is basically a mood meter for the entire crypto market. It measures how emotional traders are — whether everyone is scared, confident, or acting reckless.

It updates daily and gives you a score from 0 to 100:

• 0 = Extreme Fear
• 50 = Neutral
• 100 = Extreme Greed

What “Fear” & “Greed” Actually Mean

• 😱 Extreme Fear (0–25)
  People are panic-selling. Everyone thinks the world is ending. Prices are down.
  But smart traders see opportunity — this is often where the best entries hide.
• 😐 Neutral (45–55)
  Market isn’t emotional. No hype. No panic.
  Good for steady trading, boring for degens.
• 😈 Extreme Greed (75–100)
  Everyone is euphoric. Memecoins flying. Your barber is giving crypto tips.
  This is where bubbles form — and where smart traders start taking profit.

🔥 How to Use It Like a Pro

1️⃣ Buy When Others Are Scared

• Not financial advice — but historically, fear zones often line up with bottom-ish price levels.
• When everyone panics, assets get oversold.
• Fear = Possible Discounts.

2️⃣ Sell or Take Profit When Everyone Is Greedy

• Greed usually means the market is overheated.
• This is when bad projects pump for no reason and influencers yell “This is the next 1000x.”
• Greed = Be Careful, Take Profit, Tighten Stops.

3️⃣ Don’t Use It Alone

It’s a sentiment tool, not a magic trading system. You should pair it with other data:

• Volume
• Price action
• Liquidity
• On-chain data
• News events

The index tells you how people feel, not what’s guaranteed to happen.

4️⃣ Great for Avoiding Emotional Mistakes

• Most traders lose because of emotion.
• This tool helps you zoom out and stay calm.
• It reminds you to understand the vibe of the market before you hit buy or sell.

🔥 Simple Summary

• Fear & Greed Index = Market Emotions Meter.
• Fear = People selling → possible good entries.
• Greed = People YOLOing → possible good time to take profits.
• Neutral = Boring but stable.
• Use it as a guide, never as the only signal.