At 2 a.m., the phone kept ringing. A friend from Tianjin anxiously sent over a series of voice messages: "I put 10,000 USDT full margin with 10x leverage to go long, just a 3% pullback and my account was wiped out. How is that possible?"

I checked his trading records—he went all-in with 9,500 USDT, without even setting a stop-loss.

This is the most common mistake among full-margin users. Too many people interpret full margin as "a solid capital base that can withstand anything," but it's actually the other way around. Misusing full margin can lead to liquidation ten times faster than isolated margin.

**The real key isn’t leverage, but position sizing**

Let’s compare with a 1,000 USDT account:

Suppose you open a 10x position with 900 USDT—if the market moves against you by 5%? You’re wiped out immediately.

What if you open a 10x position with 100 USDT? You need a 50% adverse move to get liquidated.

That friend invested 95% of his capital, used 10x leverage, and with just a slight market shake, his entire account was gone.

**How to use full margin so it doesn’t blow up in half a year and can even double? Three ironclad rules**

**Rule 1: No single position exceeds 20% of total funds**

For a 10,000 USDT account, never invest more than 2,000 USDT in one trade. Even if you get the direction wrong, a 10% stop-loss means only a 200 USDT loss—no damage to the principal, always a chance to bounce back.

**Rule 2: The maximum loss per trade is 3% of total capital**

For example, with a 2,000 USDT position at 10x leverage, set a 1.5% stop-loss. A loss of 300 USDT is exactly 3% of total funds. Even if you make several wrong calls, you won’t be wiped out.

**Rule 3: During sideways markets, stay calm and don’t chase profits**

Only trade when the trend is confirmed. Don’t touch sideways markets, no matter how tempting. Never add to a position after opening it, minimizing emotional interference.

$BTC This market trend is a typical trending asset. It’s not that you can’t see it; you just need to wait for a breakout signal.

**The purpose of full margin: it’s a fault-tolerance mechanism, not a gambler’s tool**

Full margin is designed to leave buffer zones for market fluctuations, but only if you trade lightly and set strict stop-losses.

A follower once told me he used to blow up his account every month, but after following these three rules for three months—his 5,000 USDT account grew to 8,000 USDT.

He later said to me: "I used to think full margin was gambling my life away. Now I realize, full margin is actually about trading more safely."

Surviving in the crypto world is never about who makes the most money fastest, but about who can last the longest. Those who blow up their accounts frequently are not losing just this trade—they are losing respect for risk.