Trench Diaries 2/10/25

RETAIL VS A CASINO WHERE The house upgrades

The Retail Dilemma

Crypto has always been obsessed with onboarding the masses. But what happens when a normie’s first experience is losing $1,000 in minutes? That’s not exactly a welcoming environment—it’s a baptism by liquidation.

Retail investors, the so-called backbone of the market, are expected to provide exit liquidity, chase green candles, and keep the casino running. But at what point do you stop being “retail”?

Where Do You Draw the Line?

If you have a sniper bot, are you still retail? If you’re throwing six figures into a trade, are you still retail? Is it about the tools you use, the alerts you set up, or your intentions behind trading? The line keeps blurring.

Dave Portnoy recently went on a tirade about how “crypto mutants” with sniper bots were ruining his vision for $JAILSTOOL—a meme coin he wanted to turn into a cultural moment for the masses. Instead, high-frequency traders feasted while retail got left in the dust.

So is there any hope? Or are we in a pure tech arms race where only those with the best tools win?

The Harsh Reality & The Only Advice That Matters

Crypto is, in theory, an open system. A free market. But the reality is it’s dominated by those who move faster, react quicker, and automate better. The best advice for retail remains the same: study everything. Watch price movements, understand how the game is played, and never buy into FOMO until you know exactly what you’re up against.

Because in this market, the house doesn’t just win—it upgrades.