Learn how to scalp Bitcoin using the order book. Based on personal experience
The scalping strategy involves identifying microtrends. Classic technical analysis is useless for such short-term trading because microtrends last less than a minute and are purely impulsive, while indicators always lag behind. So, how can you find out about movements in advance? By observing the actions of the Market Maker (MM).
These are large companies that provide liquidity to exchanges. They are required to trade in both directions and, as the most knowledgeable and potentially manipulative players, they often create 'walls' from which the price of Bitcoin is guaranteed to bounce.
What is the main problem with popular exchanges?
On giants like Binance or Bybit, real market makers are almost impossible to see. Their orders are hidden in the order book, obscured by a huge volume of orders from other users and bots. It is simply impossible to tell where the 'smart money' is and where the panic of the hamsters is.
My life hack: choose exchanges with an average volume. The same professional market makers work on such platforms (often the same liquidity providers), but their orders are clearly visible. On an average exchange, a market maker's actions cannot be hidden — they behave like a bull in a china shop.
This is how I use it (using Cryptomus as an example): I switched to Cryptomus precisely because of its 'clean' order book. There, market makers' blocking orders ('plates') often appear immediately at the best price.
Strategy:
Signal: If you see a large 'slab' (wall) in the order book for buying at the best price, this is a signal to go long. If it's for selling, prepare to short.
Entry: Enter the MM market immediately. Its volume serves as our shield.
Stop loss: Set it immediately behind the market maker's tight level. If orders start to be taken, we exit.
Take profit: We catch a short rebound (scalping is a quick way to make money). If the market maker is deep in the glass, we place a limit order in front of it.
The main rule: as soon as the market maker removes their order, we immediately cancel ours.
Scalping requires an instant reaction, so it is ideal to connect simple trading robots. Now almost every exchange (such as Cryptomus) provides a convenient API for reading the order book, which allows you to automate the hunt for “whales.”