Insilico Terminal Podcast

In this episode, we explore a trader’s journey from discovering Bitcoin during COVID to navigating the “up-only” phase of the bull market - and the hard reset after getting wiped in May 2021. He shares how rebuilding with strict Excel tracking restored discipline, lessons from Snowbank and Snowdog, and why publicly sharing trades shifted from community to extraction. We revisit the FTX collapse in Lisbon, discuss why most of his profits come from Bitcoin perps, and break down seasonality, ETH’s failed hedge narrative, and the current state of on-chain perp DEXs versus CEXs. The conversation closes with thoughts on today’s choppy markets, Solana vs. Ethereum, staying grounded, and the importance of actually taking profits.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 15 - Satsdart

00:00 Inro, discovering Bitcoin YouTube during COVID, and the initial transition into crypto, navigating the "up only" phase of the bull run. 

10:15 Getting zeroed in May 2021, rebuilding via strict Excel tracking, and the stories of Snowbank and Snowdog. 

15:50 Why sharing trades publicly shifted from community building to extraction, and the pressure of managing followers' expectations. 

20:30 Witnessing the FTX collapse while with other traders in Lisbon, and finding opportunity in peak fear. 

25:00 Why 70% of his profits come from Bitcoin perps, utilizing seasonality, and why ETH has failed as a hedging instrument. 

32:15 A look at the current state of on-chain perp DEXs, and why centralized exchanges still offer a superior edge. 

36:00 The current "boring" state of the market, the Solana vs. Ethereum dynamic, and avoiding the "all-in" mentality during chop. 

41:20 Staying grounded despite wealth, the importance of self-judgment over judging others, and the necessity of actually taking profits.

In this episode, we follow the journey from accounting into full-time trading, exploring the role of early luck versus building real systems. He shares how mentors like Tom Dante shaped a disciplined, career-oriented mindset and why specializing in Bitcoin gave him an edge - even as BTC’s structure and liquidity have fragmented since 2021. We dive into his philosophy of exploiting behavioral inefficiencies, managing drawdowns with data, and knowing when to step back. He demystifies order flow, explains his work on Exo Charts, and breaks down execution nuances like limit scaling and patient entries. The conversation closes with trading psychology, avoiding tilt, and why modest, consistent compounding beats the pursuit of quick riches.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 14 - Luckshury 

00:00 Intro & Background, transitioning from accounting to trading,  and the role of luck vs. systems in the early days

04:15 Career Mindset & Routine, escaping the 9-to-5, influence of mentors like Tom Dante, and developing structured outlook rather than chasing moonshots

12:35 Bitcoin Specialization, the benefits of mastering a single asset and how Bitcoin's market structure and liquidity have fragmented since 2021

19:10 Trading Philosophy, building a system around exploiting behavioral inefficiencies and trapped traders rather than reacting to news events

24:35 Managing Drawdowns, using data to distinguish between bad luck and edge erosion, and the importance of stepping back when the edge isn't there

31:05 Demystifying Order Flow, using it as an additional variable for context rather than a holy grail, and his role in developing Exo Charts

41:10 Execution Mastery, the nuance of limit scaling versus market chasing, and optimizing entry prices through patience

44:00 Psychology & Longevity, avoiding the trap of instant re-entries, stopping the tilt spiral

48:15 The Power of Compounding, why 2-3R a month is enough, longevity over quick riches

In this episode, Trader XO breaks down his journey from banking and computer science into the 2017 bull run - and the painful lessons that followed after losing it all in 2018. He explains why 90% of traders fail, how embracing uncertainty is essential, and why risk management is ultimately a survival skill. We explore defining edge, expectancy, pattern recognition, and his 6-pillar trading framework. XO dives deep into psychology, recovering from tilt, building routines, dynamic risk sizing, and adding to winners. The discussion also covers strategy creation, volatility regimes, using LLMs for coding advantage, and journaling as a tool for longevity - ending with reflections on avoiding CT envy and focusing on the long game.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 13 - TraderXO

00:00:00 Intro, Trader XO background, CS/Banking origins, 2017 bull run luck, losing it all in 2018 

00:06:10 The 90% failure rate, why normal thinking loses, embracing uncertainty, risk management as survival 00:13:50 Defining Edge, expectancy formula, speed of understanding, pattern recognition vs. predicting 

00:20:10 The Trading Process, 6-pillar framework, trading as a professional sport 

00:32:20 Psychology deep dive, myth of "controlling" emotions, A-Game vs. C-Game 

00:50:08 The "Reset" phase, dissecting a recent tilt, danger of short-circuiting, recovering from losses 00:58:05 Essential library, top book recs, leveraging LLMs/ChatGPT for coding edge 

01:07:42 Routine & Execution, building situational awareness, dynamic risk sizing, adding to winners 

01:21:50 Strategy creation, 15 principles, defining hypothesis, volatility regimes, building a living playbook 01:34:50 Closing thoughts, avoiding crypto-twitter envy, journaling joy, focusing on longevity over quick wins

In this episode, we dive into the journey of a trader who entered crypto in 2016, lived through the 2017 alt mania, round-tripped early bags, and returned to the 2021 cycle far better prepared. He breaks down his current long-term swing approach, how he thinks about narratives, and why the Solana trade stood out. We talk tech vs narratives, tokenomics realism, and why Hyperliquid is one of the few “tech that actually matters.” The conversation explores learning to sell, avoiding CT sentiment traps, timeline curation, balancing work with trading, on-chain experiments, missed airdrops, public sales, and views on the current cycle - from majors vs alts to the unfolding Trump meta.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 12 - Avgreplyguy

00:00 Intro, getting into crypto in 2016, ETH-pilled early, 2017 alt mania 

05:07 Round-tripping early bags, learning to sell, RuneScape gold to BTC, entering 2021 better prepared 

08:00 Trading style today - long-term swings, narratives, Solana trade breakdown 

12:46 Tech vs narratives, tokenomics realism, Hyperliquid as rare “tech that matters,” losing faith in plasma/VC chains 

15:38 Biggest lessons - learning to sell, CT sentiment traps, subreddits, bagholder echo chambers 

20:10 Life on CT - reply guy origins, filtering grifters, timeline curation 

27:16 Work vs trading - why he keeps a job, risk management, lifestyle balance, 

34:53 On-chain attempts, meme seasons, airdrop misses (HL/Kaito), public sales, Monad/MegaETH thoughts 

43:04 Market outlook - cycle views, late-stage concerns, majors vs alts, Trump meta

In this episode, Adam - known as Abetrade —-shares his path from early binary options scams to trading German bonds, Bitcoin, and derivatives across markets. He talks about evolving from short-term order-flow scalping to longer-term swing and volatility strategies, using options and ETFs to trade mean reversion and risk premiums. Adam also dives into his work as Head of Trading at Breakout, recently acquired by Kraken, explaining prop-firm mechanics and risk management. The conversation closes with reflections on burnout, lifestyle balance, and why building sustainable habits matters more than chasing constant action.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 11 - Abetrade

00:00 Intro, Adam’s background, first exposure to trading and  ICO cycle in 2017 

06:30 Trading German bonds, transitioning to crypto perps in 2020, early bull market experiences 

14:41 Burnout, switching from intraday to higher-timeframe trading, learning patience 

22:22 How he trades now - sentiment, options, mean reversion, and trend systems across markets 

31:03 Selling options, volatility strategies, ETFs, and balancing different uncorrelated systems 

42:45 Teaching new traders, reflections on markets changing, and why higher TFs make more sense now 

46:22 Founding Breakout, getting acquired by Kraken, managing risk at scale 

52:07 Why prop trading makes sense, risk frameworks, and thoughts on leverage for smaller traders 

55:16 Staying motivated after success, daily habits, balance, and mental clarity

In this episode, Scott shares his journey from a TradFi background to finding success in crypto’s early DeFi days. He breaks down momentum effects, on-chain inefficiencies, and how simple systems often outperform over-optimized ones. The discussion covers mid-frequency quant trading, partnering with market makers, and the psychology of trend following. Scott also opens up about burnout, mental health, and his personal story of redemption - ending with reflections on the future of systematic trading, vault design, and finding peace beyond success.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 10 - Scott Phillips

00:00 Intro, Scott’s background in TradFi, pivot to crypto in 2019, and early DeFi summer success 

07:08 Momentum effects in crypto, on-chain inefficiencies, and finding edge in smaller venues 

20:18 Building systems, market-making hybrids, and why simple signals outperform optimization 

26:00 Mid-frequency quant trading, execution costs, and partnering with market makers 

35:00 Trend following as a career - psychology, losing streaks and Hyperliquid strategy 

43:00 Burnout, mental health, taking breaks, and reflections on trading longevity 

48:05 Life story - crime, jail, rebuilding through trading, lessons on risk and humility 

52:29 Future of crypto and systematic trading, decaying edges, and institutional arrival 58:08 Vault design, momentum modeling, and cross-asset trend logic 

01:12:00 Closing thoughts on money, wisdom with age, and the balance between success and peace

In this episode, Nick shares his journey from discovering markets to mastering DOM scalping and developing a unique order book–driven style. He dives into breakout and knife-catching setups, lessons from the Russian scalping scene, and his transition into algorithmic trading with Spreadfighter. The conversation explores building an algo fund through volatile markets, adapting as edges decay, managing risk, and lessons from major drawdowns - ending with insights on protecting capital, holding winners, and embracing positive tails.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 9 - Nikalgo 

00:00 Intro, Nick’s background, early exposure to markets and discovering crypto

06:05 Discovering DOM scalping, order book focus, and early trading habits

12:16 Developing skill with DOM tools, breakout vs knife-catching setups, Russian scalping scene

18:26 Joining Spreadfighter, learning pairs trading, and transition toward algorithmic strategies

29:18 Building Spreadfighter into an algo fund, adapting through the 2021–22 bear market

39:16 Current trading today - decayed edges, intuition, risk management, surviving October 10th

54:27 Protecting capital, lessons from dumps, holding winners, positive tails, and closing thoughts

In this episode, Ponzi shares his path from early on-chain trading to joining Spartan Group, reflecting on big wins, losses, and emotional lessons along the way. He talks about the Hyperliquid airdrop era, shifting from altcoins to perps, and developing structured strategies in a team environment. The conversation covers trading psychology, DEX competition, public sales, and the evolving airdrop meta - ending with insights on adaptability, letting go of old bags, and staying sharp in changing markets.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 8 - Ponzi Maxi 

00:00:00 Intro, Ponzi’s background, getting into crypto and early trading years

00:06:08 Big wins and losses - Rollbit, Trader Joe, emotional trading lessons

00:10:25 Hyperliquid airdrop, airdrop farming mindset, and lessons from missed opportunities

00:15:05 Transition to perps trading, shift away from on-chain alts, adapting strategy

00:26:16 Joining Spartan Group - team trading, structure, learning valuation frameworks

00:33:09 Trading psychology, loneliness, social aspects, and adapting over time

00:38:11 Thoughts on Lighter, Hyperliquid, perp DEX competition and market outlook

00:55:01 Public sales meta, Echo deals, MegaETH, and evolution from airdrops

01:06:08 Closing thoughts - trading advice, adaptability, dumping old bags, final wrap-up

In this episode, Ruslan, founder of Extended, shares his journey from Revolut to building a fully self-custodial exchange. He explains the vision behind Extended’s unified margin and multi-asset collateral system, the choice to build on Starknet, and the challenges of trustless architecture. The discussion dives into liquidation logic, exchange stability during volatile markets, and what sets Extended apart - closing with thoughts on sustainable growth, token plans, and the future of decentralized trading.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 7 - Extended Founder Ruslan

00:00 Intro, Ruslan’s background, founding Extended, and vision for a self-custody exchange

06:11 Leaving Revolut to build independently, benefits of a small agile team

13:09 What sets Extended apart - unified margin, multi-asset collateral, and long-term roadmap

18:42 Why they chose Starknet, trustless design, and Ethereum ecosystem integration

24:59 Deep dive into multi-asset margin mechanics, liquidation logic, and risk handling

33:46 Why others don’t build this yet, technical complexity, and future competition

39:18 Exchange stability, recent crash lessons, and how Extended handled downtime

45:56 Sustainable growth, token plans, long-term goals, and closing remarks

In this episode, Heart shares his journey from the early DeFi days to becoming a disciplined trend trader. He talks about the lessons from his first bear market, how trading psychology reshaped his approach, and why he stopped shorting. The discussion covers trend following, coin rotation, using CT as signal, and the role of community, journaling, and personal growth -ending with insights on managing size, staying sharp, and building long-term freedom through trading.

Insilico Terminal Podcast Episode 6 - Heart

00:00:00 Intro, Heart’s background, getting into crypto and the early DeFi boom

00:04:38 From on-chain degening to perps, first bear market, lessons and mindset shift

00:08:00 Trading psychology - why he stopped shorting, emotional control, risk habits

00:12:32 How he trades today: trend following, rotation, coin selection, and CT as signal

00:21:00 What CT taught him - psychology over TA, community, filtering noise

00:33:53 Books, mentors, journaling, and personal growth as a trader

00:45:11 Key lessons, managing size, staying sharp, freedom and long-term goals