This is mainly a reminder to myself, but maybe this helps some newer people too.

With all this crypto hype dragging in fresh blood again, here’s a little guidance to help avoid screwing yourself over.

• Hold that shit: If you actually believe your coin’s got long-term value: JUST HOLD. Ignore the noise and don't sell unless some real bad news drops (Key partners exit, serious exploit, insolvency, lost legal challenges, etc). Even then, the price will likely climb back up unless it's some irrecoverable problem or it was just a rug-pull crypto in the first place.
• Do some damn research: Look up reasons why your crypto of choice has value, what its downsides are, etc. Is it because Logan Paul hyped it up, or is it because the team behind it have are actively and visibly working on a bigger plan? Find that shit out first before putting money in it.
• Resist FOMO: Seems obvious, but when you see a price start climbing like crazy, your first impulse is to "BUY NOW", but don't. Wait for the next dip. There will ALWAYS be a dip. The whales make the most money off the FOMO.
• Volume is key: Has the volume been steadily climbing, or did it jump up out of nowhere with no news behind it? If it just jumped out of nowhere, don't buy. Wait.
• Be aware of market depth: Some platforms give you a graph, others just show the DOM (Depth of Market)

Below are walls. When they get hit, the price will likely drop some. People that are unaware of this might think the price is tanking and will sell. If there is enough upward momentum, these mean nothing.

This is what causes that saw tooth pattern you usually see as a price goes up. It doesn't mean the price is tanking, but it does mean its going to fluctuate. Especially if the price has steadily been trending up. Same goes for the inverse when price is trending down, but spikes of green appear.

If you still want to trade/scalp/whatever, know this:

You are playing a game rigged against you. Big players that wipe their ass with a million bucks are out here setting traps daily. Those traps are mainly against other players, but a lot of smaller fish get caught in it too. Their sole mission is take your money by preying on impatience and emotion.

Common traps

Stop-hunts

• Price spikes into obvious stop zones (recent highs/lows), then sharp reversal.
• Watch for long wicks near key levels

$3650 was a key point and it hit and tanked giving the whales a chance to buy even lower. Most drops like this have nothing to do with actual sentiment, just emotion and manipulation.

Fake/False breakouts

• Price blasts through resistance/support briefly, then dumps/pumps opposite.
• Low volume around it? Weak momentum? Probably fake.

AKA Bear/Bull traps. Some differences, but basically the same thing

Spoofing

• Big buy/sell walls suddenly appear and disappear from the order book.
• Persistent orders matter, fleeting ones are likely bait.

(Hard to find a good example of this from past data, but just be wary of sudden things popping up and disappearing)

Fake pumps

• Big green candle out of nowhere, no real news, thin volume around it = exit liquidity trap.
• Volume must back the move or it’s suspect.

Very low volume around and then a big bump all of a sudden, followed by price dropping.

Summary

• You can’t out-trade whales; they thrive on impatience and retail emotion
• Real breakouts have real volume and continuation
• No volume = no conviction = high risk of trap.
• If you really believe, just hold – but if you trade, don’t chase the first move

Stay sharp. This market isn't designed for us little folk.