Questions from the chat, answered
We read every question people asked in the chat this week. Here are the answers, in plain English.
Updated 2026-11-04
Reading the chart
Which line do I watch?
Two lines matter most. The dashed line is the price to beat (the price when the round started). The orange line is the price that settles the round. If orange ends at or above the dashed line, Up wins; below it, Down wins. The white line is the live price from the big exchanges. It moves first, and the orange line follows it. The blue line is Coinbase on its own. Pictures of every line here.
What's the curve or cone at the end of the round?
From halfway through a round, a dashed line and a shaded cone show where the end price will most likely land. It's simple math on the round so far, not a bot call. Wide cone = jumpy market, narrow cone = calm market.
What's the pink dotted line? What's RSI?
The pink dotted line is VWAP, the average price traders paid since the round started. The RSI badge shows whether the last few minutes were stretched: 70 or more = pushed up hard, 30 or less = pushed down hard. Stretched doesn't mean it has to turn around.
What are "supply" and "demand" zones?
Tap Zones above the chart to turn them on (it's off by default, and your choice is remembered on your device). A supply band above the price is an area where the price has been turned down before; a demand band below is where it has bounced before. Only the nearest one above and below are shown. They're a picture, not a signal: the bots don't use them to bet.
What do "Chance of Up" and "fair price" mean?
Chance of Up is the bot's own estimate that the round ends Up. The fair price is what that chance would be worth in cents: 70% sure ≈ 70¢. If Polymarket sells Up for less than that, the bot sees it as cheap.
What do the buttons above the chart do (1m, 10m, 60m, 24h)?
They zoom in and out. Short windows show this round up close; 60m shows the last hour of rounds, each shaded green (ended Up) or red (ended Down); 24h shows the whole day.
What's the bar with buyers and sellers?
It shows how much of the last 30 seconds of trading on the big exchanges was buying vs selling. It tells you what's happening now, not what happens next.
The bot and its calls
Where do I see what the bot is doing?
In the big status box by the chart (and in the auto-trader card further down). It says one of these:
- ▲ BETTING UP / ▼ BETTING DOWN: the bot bought. It shows what it paid, how sure it was, and what it pays if it wins.
- LEANING UP / DOWN: which way the bot thinks the round is going right now. It has not bet. A lean can flip many times in a round.
- ⏳ ABOUT TO BET: close to a bet, but the price or timing still has to line up. Sometimes it never does, so "about to" doesn't always become a bet.
- SITTING OUT: the market is too wild, or something else made the bot skip this round.
- Done for this round: it already bet or the round is nearly over.
Leaning vs betting: should I follow the lean?
A lean is not a bet. The bot only bets when it's sure enough and Polymarket's price is cheap enough to be worth it after fees. A lean of 80% at a price of 85¢ is not a good deal, so the bot waits.
Why doesn't the bot bet every round?
On purpose. Most rounds the price is already about right, and betting anyway loses money over time because of fees. Some stretches of the day have no bets for 20 minutes or more. That's normal.
Does it only bet Up?
No. It bets either side. On some days most of its bets go one way because that's how the market moved.
Where's the 📣 call and the "% sure"?
When the model gets very sure of a round, a 📣 call with ▲ or ▼ appears next to the timer and on the chart's name tag. Log in (free) to see the side. The % sure is in the bot box under the chart and in the "Chance of Up" box. Calls are separate from bets: a round can have a call and no bet.
Does the bot say when to sell?
The bot mostly holds its bets to the result. Sometimes it sells early, and you'll see it on the chart and in the alerts if you turn on "wins, losses and sells". It doesn't tell anyone else when to sell. Many people in the chat take a small profit instead of holding, using a limit order on Polymarket. That's your call.
Where does the price come from?
Crypto rounds settle on a 60-second average of the big exchanges (CF Benchmarks' BRTI); gold and silver settle on Chainlink's price at the last second. WickTape shows both, plus the live exchange prices. How settlement works.
How does the bot decide?
It estimates the chance of each side and compares it with Polymarket's price, and only bets when the gap is big enough after fees. The exact rules are WickTape's own. More here.
Alerts
How do I turn on alerts?
Tap the 🔔 bell at the top right, pick the markets, and tap Turn on alerts. You'll get a notification the moment that market's bot bets. Tick "also tell me when a bet wins, loses or is sold" if you want results too.
On iPhone?
iPhones only allow alerts from the home screen app: in Safari tap Share (□↑) → Add to Home Screen, open WickTape from the home screen, then tap 🔔. Needs iOS 16.4 or newer.
I turned them on but get nothing
- The bot may just not be betting. No bet = no alert.
- Check that notifications for wicktape.com (or the WickTape home screen app) are allowed in your phone or browser settings, and that Focus / Do Not Disturb isn't hiding them.
- If you cleared your browser data, turn alerts on again.
Trading on Polymarket
What is scalping?
Buying a side and selling it a little later for a few cents more, instead of waiting for the round to end. The prices on Polymarket move during the round, so you can sell before the result. It's fast, it's easy to get wrong, and fees eat small wins. WickTape's bots don't scalp; they mostly hold.
"Bet $200 to make $5"? How does that make sense?
A side that costs 97¢ only pays 3¢ if it wins, and loses 97¢ if it doesn't. Cheap prices pay more but win less often. Over time you only come out ahead if you're right more often than the price says. Fees with real numbers.
How do I set an auto-sell or limit order?
That's on Polymarket, not WickTape: when you sell, choose a limit order and set your price. WickTape can't place or change orders for you.
Accounts, chat and the rest
Is this real money? Is it legit? Is it legal?
WickTape is a free tracker. It never takes bets or money; the bots trade paper money with Polymarket US's real prices. If you bet, you do it on Polymarket yourself, and whether you can depends on Polymarket's rules where you live.
Sign-up or log-in isn't working
Pick a username and password in the log-in box. If you forget your password, tap "Forgot password?". If it still won't let you in, message us in the chat or on Discord. Private browsing or blocked cookies can log you out; try a normal window.
Can I post screenshots or message someone?
Members can send GIFs with the GIF button. Photo uploads and private messages between users aren't available; to talk one-on-one, use our Discord.
How do I support WickTape?
Tap ☕ Support at the top, or go to ko-fi.com/wicktape. Thank you!
What's new?
Returning visitors see a "What's new" card, and the blog has a daily recap.
Quick answers
Which line on the WickTape chart decides the round?
The orange line (the settlement price) against the dashed line (the price to beat). Orange at or above the dashed line at the end means Up wins.
Is 'leaning' the same as the bot betting?
No. Leaning shows which way the bot thinks the round is going. It only bets when it's sure enough and the price is cheap enough after fees; then the box says BETTING UP or BETTING DOWN.
How do I get WickTape bet alerts?
Tap the bell at the top right, choose markets and tap Turn on alerts. On iPhone, add WickTape to your home screen first and turn alerts on from there.
Does WickTape use real money?
No. The bots trade paper money with Polymarket US's live prices. WickTape never takes bets or money.