Nine battles, nine victories; behind the tens of millions in profit is a high-risk game that ordinary players cannot afford to play.
I saw that whale with the code 0x152e on Hyperliquid making money again and again, with nine trades all winning, taking away over 14 million dollars. I only have one thought in my mind: this guy is really impressive, but don’t follow his example.
As an old player who has been in this circle for many years, I have seen too many retail investors who thought they had found the 'wealth code,' only to end up being stepping stones for others' wealth. Today, I will use plain language to talk to you about this seemingly glamorous yet actually dangerous whale game.
1. The invisible world of whales: a comprehensive crushing of information, capital, and psychology
Whales play a completely different game.
They have access to more data than you do. For example, some large holders can monitor large on-chain transfers in real-time, just like seeing the opponent's cards while playing poker. While ordinary people are still scrolling through news for information, the whales have already completed their layouts.
What impressed me deeply was a time when a certain whale went long on ETH and BTC with $6 million at 50x leverage just minutes before Trump announced the strategic reserve for crypto assets. Once the news was released, the market surged, and this guy made over $6.8 million in a single day. With such precise timing, do you think it was good luck or being well-informed? It's worth pondering.
What’s even more powerful is that whales are also proficient in a strategy called 'stop-loss hunting'. Simply put, they are like lions waiting for prey on the prairie, knowing where retail investors tend to set their stop-loss orders, then deliberately pushing the price to those levels, triggering a large number of stop-losses, and then operating in reverse to pick up cheap chips.
This is why your stop-loss orders are always so 'accurately' triggered, and then the market reverses—it's not that you're unlucky; it's that you’ve been calculated against.
2. The tragic history of followers: from wanting to drink soup to being harvested
Many people turn green with envy when they see whales making money, thinking 'I can at least get a little bit of their profits, right?' But the reality is cruel—followers often become the ones who get harvested.
Let’s look at real cases. There was a trader named @qwatio who became popular for making a fortune with high-leverage operations, attracting a lot of followers. But the market direction changed quickly, and by early November last year, his 25x leveraged long position on Ethereum was liquidated all at once, with total losses reaching $15 million.
Even worse is another whale who once maintained a '100% win rate'. He built positions worth nearly $470 million, with unrealized profits peaking at over $14 million, looking extremely glorious. But as the market fell, he not only returned all profits but also incurred a loss of nearly $40 million, causing his win rate to plummet from 100% to 77.7%.
These vivid examples tell you: even seemingly 'invincible' whales can make wrong judgments. And retail investors who follow them, due to differences in cost and risk tolerance, often suffer faster and more tragically.
3. My survival advice: How should ordinary people play?
Should we ordinary people completely avoid this market? Not necessarily. The key is to find a playstyle that suits ourselves. I have three down-to-earth suggestions based on my own hard-earned experiences.
Give up the illusion of following others and build your own judgment ability
The operations of whales are based on information and risk tolerance that you cannot access. I have seen experienced traders focus on the overall strategic direction of the whales rather than specific orders. For example, many large holders are adopting the strategy of 'sticking to the mainstream and shorting altcoins', which is valuable for market direction judgment, but directly following them carries extremely high risks.
Ordinary investors should focus on the fundamental value and macro logic of blockchain technology; this is the key to surviving cycles.
Learn to read market sentiment indicators
The funding rate is a great thermometer for market sentiment. When this number skyrockets to dangerous levels, it’s time to be alert. Experienced players will be greedy in times of market panic and calm in times of market frenzy.
Just like that whale who bought ETH at a low price in 2017 and held it for three years, ultimately making over 3.27 million dollars in profit. This kind of patience and calmness is the key to making money.
Invest like a farmer, not a gambler
Adopt a regular investment strategy, investing fixed amounts in quality assets periodically to diversify risk. Whales often build positions gradually on a monthly basis; short-term speculation is not their main dish.
Never use leverage—cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are already highly volatile, and leveraging is like jumping into a fire pit. Remember, in this market, surviving longer is much more important than making quick profits.
Conclusion: Master your own helm
Whales' performances are indeed spectacular, but don't forget, what you see are their successful cases, while you cannot see the countless failures that have quietly exited.
As an ordinary player, the best strategy is to stick to your own rhythm and establish your own investment system, rather than being misled by so-called 'god operations'. The greater the storm, the tighter we should grip our helm.
In this information asymmetrical market, true success is not about following the whales for a quick profit, but about finding a sustainable investment path that suits yourself.
Do you think this makes sense? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
