With insights and reflections drawn from an interview with Francesco Britti
The life of a crypto trader is often portrayed as a mix of freedom, quick profits, and “timeless” days. The reality is more complex: it is a job built on discipline, risk management, and above all, emotional management. To understand what really happens “behind the scenes,” we have gathered key insights from an interview with Francesco Britti, trader and educator, who shares his journey, mistakes, daily routine, and the practical rules that distinguish trading from pure gambling.
Disclaimer: this content is informational and does not constitute financial advice. Trading cryptocurrencies involves high risks, especially with leverage.
Who is Francesco Britti and how did he get into crypto
Britti did not start as a “social trader”. His journey began with economic and financial studies and a practical approach: before diving into the crypto world, he observed and experimented with markets such as Forex and equities. His entry into the digital realm occurred in 2017 through e-commerce; from there, his interest shifted towards cryptocurrencies.
The first “serious” contact is not with Bitcoin, but with Ethereum, which he also begins to mine. As often happens, the first steps include mistakes: one of his anecdotes involves sending ETH to a wrong address, an episode that becomes a symbol of a fundamental lesson in the sector: you are responsible for your actions and there isn’t always a “help desk” to resolve issues.
The Turning Point: 2019–2020 and the Market Lesson
The real shift in mindset occurred between 2019 and 2020, during the phase of global shock and market collapse. In that context, Britti recounts having understood a simple yet powerful dynamic:
- those who have method
- those who have liquidity
- those who keep their cool
…doesn’t run away, but plans.
In this perspective, crypto is not just a “trend,” but a response (with pros and cons) to a financial system perceived as flawed: asset sovereignty, global transferability, autonomy. However, autonomy also means operational risk: if you make a mistake, you often pay for it yourself.
Method vs Gambling: The Fine Line That Decides Everything
One of the most useful parts of the interview is the clear distinction between trading and gambling. According to Britti, the difference is not “who is skilled and who is not,” but who has a process and who improvises.
Trading vs Gambling: Quick Differences
| Aspect | Trading (process) | Gambling (improvisation) |
| Market entry | rule-based | emotion-based |
| Capital management | controlled size | “all-in” or excessive |
| Stop loss | planned and respected | shifted or ignored |
| Objective | consistency | big hit |
| Typical outcome | gradual growth | boom and then reset |
Britti highlights a “counterintuitive” yet realistic point: sustainable returns are not “monthly doublings,” but progressive growth. It’s better to have a consistent path than an euphoric month followed by a month where the market “takes it all back.”
Risk Management: size, leverage, partials, and patience
The central idea is that trading is not a game of prediction, but of risk management. Even if you are right about the movement, sudden volatility, news, spikes, and stop-outs can occur.
Among the practices mentioned:
- Enter with a reduced size (e.g., 2–3% per trade as a magnitude order)
- Moderate leverage (avoid excesses that amplify emotional impact)
- Active management: partialize, move stop to breakeven, protect profits
- Above all: patience
A phrase that encapsulates the approach well:
“The small part is identifying the trade. The huge part is waiting and managing.”
In practice, many losses stem from overtrading: entering because one “can’t stand” the idea of staying out.
FOMO, FUD, and Revenge Trading: How to Really Manage Them
Britti doesn’t say “I don’t experience FOMO.” He says the opposite: FOMO exists, because it’s human. The difference lies in how you manage it.
A concrete strategy that proposes:
- if you feel FOMO, you can also enter, but with a small stake, accepting upfront that it’s a high-risk play
- do not turn emotion into a “serious trade” with heavy size
- separate assets: for example, treat meme coins as a gamble (limited size), while managing main assets with stricter rules
And on revenge trading (the “vengeance” trade to recover), the point is clear: entering driven by past experiences (a missed opportunity, a loss) is often the quickest way to worsen the situation.
The Defining Mistake: When “the Trade of a Lifetime” Becomes the Hardest Lesson
When asked about the most significant mistakes, Britti mentions a serious episode: a trade built with conviction, experienced as “the trade of a lifetime,” which in 36–48 hours leads to a substantial loss.
The lesson is not technical, but structural:
- the market doesn’t “owe” you anything
- Overestimating oneself is as risky as underestimating the market
- if the size is wrong, even the right idea can become destructive
That’s where the turning point begins: applying rules, rebuilding, and above all internalizing that capital protection comes before the pursuit of profit.
What a Trader’s Routine Really Looks Like: Freedom Yes, But Not at the Start
Here, the interview is particularly useful because it dispels a myth: at the beginning, trading is often stressful and solitary.
When you open a trade and it goes wrong:
- it sticks with you
- influences the day
- increases isolation
Over time, however, a fundamental skill develops: separating who you are from what the market does. When you achieve this separation, you improve both as a trader and as a person.
On the “typical day,” several points emerge:
- observation of the context and levels before trading
- time slots when the market is more “active” (generally: main sessions and opening/overlap moments)
- reduce noise: don’t watch the trade every minute, avoid opening continuous micro-trades “to feel in control”
A cited rule of thumb is simple:
“If 100€ weighs on you emotionally, enter with 10€. If you can’t handle the fluctuation, the size is wrong.”
DeFi vs CeFi: Why the Future Will Be Hybrid
In the comparison between decentralized and centralized finance, Britti does not choose an “absolute winner”. DeFi represents freedom, experimentation, and sovereignty; CeFi is more accessible for the masses and businesses and, with regulation, can become the safest entry point for the general public.
The vision: they will coexist, and knowing how to use both is a competitive advantage.
MiCAR: Brake or Opportunity for Europe?
The assessment is pragmatic: regulation is not perfect, but in the long term it can:
- reduce room for amateurs and structural scams
- favor serious operators
- increase credibility and adoption
The real challenge, says Britti, is not so much “the regulation” itself, but how it will be applied: what it limits, what it enables, how it protects retail and businesses without stifling innovation.
Is trading for everyone? No. But it can become so (for some)
The final answer is deliberately blunt: it’s not for everyone. Not due to a lack of intelligence, but because of emotional pressure.
It can become “for you” if:
- you are willing to work on yourself before the charts
- you are capable of admitting mistakes and correcting them
- accept a horizon of years (not weeks)
- you rely on a serious path, even with mentorship, to shorten the error curve
10 Practical Rules for Beginners
- Protect your capital: without capital, trading does not exist.
- Size above all: if it weighs on you emotionally, it’s too large.
- Moderate leverage: leverage amplifies error and your psychology.
- Written rules: entry, stop, target, management.
- Partialize: don’t turn a profit into a loss out of greed.
- Avoid revenge trading: if you want to “recover,” you’re already making a mistake.
- Accept drawdowns: they are not eliminated, they are managed.
- Learn not to trade: it’s a skill, not a lack of skill.
- Separate yourself from the market: the chart does not define your worth.
- Realistic minimum timeframe: think in years, not days.
Conclusion
The life of a trader is not a linear path: it is a “work on oneself” even before it is work on the markets. The interview with Francesco Britti provides a concrete picture: the difference is not made by the big score, but by daily discipline, risk management, and the ability to navigate strong emotions without being driven by them.
Watch the full interview here!
Source: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2025/12/24/the-life-of-a-crypto-trader-routine-emotions-and-method-evergreen-guide/
