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. Visit DexScreener
• 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 Sniper Bot
• Sigma Trading Bot
• Trojan Trading Bot

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.

Finding quality crypto channels and influencers across Telegram, Twitter (X), TikTok, and other social media platforms is crucial for staying informed and catching early opportunities. The crypto space moves fast, and having the right sources can make the difference between catching alpha or being exit liquidity.

What to Look For:

• Track Record: Do they have consistent, verifiable calls? Check their history.
• Transparency: Do they share wins AND losses? Be wary of those who only post success stories.
• Education vs Shilling: Quality creators teach you to think, not just tell you what to buy.
• Community Vibe: Healthy communities discuss and debate. Cult-like groups are red flags.
• No Unrealistic Promises: Anyone guaranteeing 100x or "risk-free" gains is lying.

Recommended Telegram Channel:

• First Watch – Your one-stop channel for instantly sharing the best early calls from top crypto KOLs, ensuring you stay ahead in the fast-paced crypto market. Get aggregated alpha from multiple respected sources in real-time.

General Strategy:

• Mix YouTube, X (Twitter), TikTok and Telegram for diverse perspectives.
• Follow some meme-degen callers for narrative awareness and early trends.
• Balance that with serious educators who explain tech, fundamentals & risk management.
• Always DYOR – even the best callers get it wrong sometimes.
• Never invest based solely on someone else's word, no matter how respected they are.

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.