Those traders who survived, like spice merchants in the 19th century I always feel that traders in the options world are a bit like spice merchants in the 19th century. They didn't rely on luck to make a fortune, nor did they rely on courage to fight for their lives, but calculated clearly: how much is this ship of spices worth? What is the risk on the way? Should we avoid the storm in advance? In their era, shipping risks were enormous, but spice profits were astonishing. The businessmen who can survive are not the bravest, but those who know how to use financial instruments to hedge risks, reserve cash flow, and know when to enter and when to abandon a whole ship of nutmeg. Today's option players are essentially the same kind of people. They are well aware that the market is unpredictable, but the fluctuations are controllable; Not to guess the right direction every time, just to control the loss every time. Options are not about betting on the future, but about managing the uncertainty of the present. Many people who first enter the options market see it as a tool for "amplification", but in the eyes of experts, options are not amplifiers, but controllers. It allows you to have more choices and live longer in ambiguous market conditions by managing uncertainty. For example, if you hold BTC, the market will not rise or fall. You're afraid of a decline and don't want to sell spot goods. At this point, you can buy a put option to hedge the risk: if it really falls, you can stop the loss; It hasn't fallen, but it's a bit of "insurance premium". This gameplay won't make you rich overnight, but it can help you survive in the 'monkey market'. The longer you live, the more opportunities there will naturally be. In the world of options, data is more valuable than intuition Experts never rely on intuition, but let data speak for itself. The price you see is the accumulation of expectations: some are bullish, some are bearish, they place bets in the options market, forming data. These data are more authentic than any KOL's mouth. The flow of large option orders, changes in IV (implied volatility), and fluctuations in Open Interest are all movements of whales. Traders analyze this data every day, focusing not on news, but on the real actions on the chain - where funds flow and where expectations tilt. This is faster than chasing news. Therefore, many traders will take a look at professional data platforms @ BTC_Options and @ GreeksLive before making judgments. Especially when the market is in a stalemate, looking at data more often is better than blindly guessing, as it can save lives in critical moments. GreeksLive co-founder @ JeffLia12309881, as one of the earliest BTC options traders, is said to have learned from the experience of contract liquidation and participated in the creation of the platform. Survival comes first, followed by profitability. Don't ask 'long or short', what should be asked is' how can I survive? ' The market always has the next wave of opportunities, but if the capital is gone, the mentality collapses, and the pace is chaotic, you won't be able to wait for that wave. Options are like an umbrella, held up when it rains and retracted when it clears up. It doesn't explode instantly like a contract, nor does it stand guard naked like a spot. Especially in today's era of high volatility and weak trends, options are not just icing on the cake, but providing timely assistance. In my opinion, options are not the "weapon of experts", but rather the "armor of ordinary people".