Making Your First Trade

A step-by-step guide to placing your first prediction on OddsForge.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

• ✅ A connected wallet (MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet) — see How to Sign Up
• ✅ USDC in your wallet on BSC — see How to Deposit
• ✅ A small amount of BNB for gas fees

Step 1: Browse Markets

On the OddsForge homepage, you'll see a list of active prediction markets. Each market card shows:

• Market question — The event being predicted (e.g., "Will Bitcoin hit $100K by Dec 2025?")
• Current prices — YES and NO prices, representing the market's predicted probabilities
• Total volume — How much has been traded on this market
• End date — When the market closes for trading
• Category — Politics, Sports, Crypto, Entertainment, etc.

Use the category filters and search bar to find markets that interest you. You can also sort by trending, newest, or highest volume.

Step 2: Select a Market

Click on any market to open its detailed view. Here you'll see:

• Price chart — Historical price movement showing how probabilities have changed over time
• Pool totals — Total USDC in the YES and NO pools
• Resolution criteria — Exactly how the market outcome will be determined
• Trading panel — Where you place your trade

Step 3: Place Your Trade

In the trading panel:

1. Choose your position: Click YES if you think the event will happen, or NO if you think it won't.
2. Enter your amount: Type how much USDC you want to trade (minimum is usually $1).
3. Review the details: Check your estimated shares, potential payout, and implied probability.
4. Approve USDC: If this is your first trade, you'll need to approve the OddsForge smart contract to spend your USDC. This is a one-time transaction.
5. Confirm the trade: Click "Place Trade" and confirm the transaction in your wallet.

Step 4: Track Your Position

After your trade is confirmed, you can track it in several ways:

• Portfolio page — See all your active positions, their current value, and P&L (profit/loss).
• Market page — Return to the market to see updated prices and your position.
• Transaction history — View all your past trades and their details.

What Happens Next?

There are two ways your trade can end:

1. Market Resolves

When the event occurs (or the resolution deadline is reached), the market is resolved by the admin team:

• If you picked the winning side: Your shares are worth $1.00 each. Your winnings are automatically settled to the smart contract, ready to claim.
• If you picked the losing side: Your shares are worth $0.00. A 5% platform fee is deducted from the losing pool before distributing to winners.

2. Sell Before Resolution

You can sell your shares at any time before the market resolves. If the price has moved in your favor, you can lock in profits without waiting for resolution.

Understanding Payouts

OddsForge uses a parimutuel model. This means: