I used to see big orders on-chain with slippage, and my first reaction was, “An arbitrage opportunity is here.” Now I basically treat it as, “Someone’s feeding sandwiches to the sandwich…” To be blunt, you think you’re picking up money, but a lot of the time you’re actually paying other people’s fees and priority fees. Especially lately, when cross-chain bridges get hacked again and oracles have also posted abnormal quotes, everyone crowds into that consensus of “waiting for confirmation”—which, in turn, makes it even easier for the fast hands to harvest.

Before I place an order, I set my limits and alerts first, and my mindset really has changed: I don’t obsess over the chart until my palms sweat, and I won’t get hot-headed just because I missed a trade. If it gets filled, then it gets filled; if it doesn’t, then forget it. I’d rather make a little less than hear the liquidation alarm again.