How many bitcoin parabolic rise and bubble crash have you been through? 1, 2, 3?

[gabriella]

i have been through all 3 - first one in june 2011, second one in march this year, third one just now.

never sold any, only bought more.

how about you?

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[cypherdoc]

i count 15.5 to 7 as #4 for me.

[JimboToronto]

never sold any, only bought more.

Me too.

[mb300sd]

All 4... always painful, until the next one. Still holding on tight.

(although #1 was with a ton of BTC on my hard drive that I had completely forgotten about)

[Melbustus]

All 4 mentioned here.

But weren't there several huge ramps followed by 50%+ drops before June 2011? Those would be before my time.

[fallinglantern]

The Architect from Matrix Reloaded had words about this..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wdKlWXyUkc&t=2m4s

tl;dw: I prefer counting from the emergence of one integral anomaly to the emergence of the next. In which case, this is the sixth version.

[dnaleor]

you should have added a poll, would be interesting

I saw the 2 recent "bubbles": april and the current one.

[Bitcopia]

i count 15.5 to 7 as #4 for me.

Aye, she was my first, and she got me good! She took 90% of my coins, but she taught me to stay strong through 2013.

[piramida]

I consider bitcoin the compact immersion training course for market psychology yet!

Yep I think all commodity traders should get on here; the only place where you can go through all phases of the market in one year

As for the topic, all of them. Would not miss any, the adrenaline is what makes bitcoin so special (besides being the currency of the future yadda yadda).

[ironstove]

I've been following BTC since April 2010.

[Elwar]

I bought as it was coming down in June 2011 at $17.

[Pruden]

Only april and this one.

I regard them as crash-courses (heh) in finance. In the first one, I bought all the way up (also sold according to schedule) which meant I was under the water several days. It was PAINFUL, I couldn't get myself to ride it like all the wiser people here adviced. Plus, the April crash happened along the week previous to my final project presentation, which made me all the more anxious. By the time the July capitulation arrived I was already desensitized. Now? I trade like a boss, and am well in EUR profit anyway.

But I never forget. When my friends showed interest in buying last month (they had heard about Silk Road bust, I had told them about bitcoin in March lol) the first thing I did was play the April crash time-lapse video for them, lest they suffer like I did.

[Gordonium]

It's just so fucking character building everytime.

[emanymton]

Seen em all... and if I'd done the exact opposite of what I actually did each time I would be extremely wealthy by now 

[donjoe]

I bought as it was coming down in June 2011 at $17.

Same here, at $19, and then some more in February 2013 when things started ramping up again. Then April 2013 devoured me - I had everything in coins when the peak came, I was there to see the peak actually happen, yet I couldn't trade anything because Bitcoin-24x crashed and then immediately got locked down by investigations related to money laundering. By the time I got my coins back I was left to trade on the final zigzags after the crash and ended up losing even more. *bangs head against wall* That's when the moment of truth came: GTFO or discipline myself to trade only on large-scale and long-term evolutions.

In October I recovered all my losses and I currently have more than 2x the fiat I put in.

[sgbett]

All, (in since $1) and it always feels easier on the down leg than the up.

On the down the plan is simple - hold tight.

On the up the plan is less simple (sell tiny bits to lock in a bit of fiat gain in case it all goes wrong), but the excitement of a rising market creates emotions that make you question whether your plan is optimal because you know the correction is coming and you want to have taken advantage of the run up...

[Spaceman_Spiff]

You guys realize you are just making everybody else jealous, right?  

[sgbett]

You guys realize you are just making everybody else jealous, right? 

I'm sure in time there will be plenty who look at those that bought in the hundreds and wish they had that kind of opportunity

[fallinglantern]

I'm sure in time there will be plenty who look at those that bought in the hundreds and wish they had that kind of opportunity

This. I keep telling this to friends who lament not getting into BTC when it was ___ price that was cheaper. They keep not buying.

[proudhon]

4, by the way you guys are counting.

[majorX]

I'm sure in time there will be plenty who look at those that bought in the hundreds and wish they had that kind of opportunity

This. I keep telling this to friends who lament not getting into BTC when it was ___ price that was cheaper. They keep not buying.

They will never buy. Especially when the price is now higher than they could buy first. I thinking the same way 

[adamstgBit]

3

each time i think its going to fly away 

[N12]

June, April, November.

[vokain]

i count 15.5 to 7 as #4 for me.

+1

I wasn't around for June 2011, however, so I'm at 3.

I consider bitcoin the compact immersion training course for market psychology yet!

+1

[ThatDGuy]

Two here since I've actually had any.

It only hurts the first time!

[notme]

Since $1.... I don't know how you define bubbles, but there has been a lot of action.

[Elwar]

All, (in since $1) and it always feels easier on the down leg than the up.

On the down the plan is simple - hold tight.

On the up the plan is less simple (sell tiny bits to lock in a bit of fiat gain in case it all goes wrong), but the excitement of a rising market creates emotions that make you question whether your plan is optimal because you know the correction is coming and you want to have taken advantage of the run up...

I agree, when the price is going up I am useless. All sorts of questions and unknowns, at X$/BTC how does that affect my life, job decisions, mortgage payoff, etc...

After all of this crazyness I have stopped thinking about it. I am just keeping my BTC in my wallet and not worrying about it until after the new year.

[beenyce]

Two here since I've actually had any.

It only hurts the first time!

+1

[erre]

First time for me.
It hurts.

[piramida]

nah these last two are baby crashes. the slow painful slide down from 17 was the real bitch. slowly sucking hope from the bravest

[Chalkbot]

I got my first bitcoins after the 2011 bubble/crash. I actually didn't know there was a bubble in 2011 until some time later.

[NamelessOne]

Four if we are counting August 2012.

[David M]

All of them.

Been dollar cost averaging since $2.

[ThatDGuy]

First time for me.
It hurts.

The next ones are a lot easier though.  When the "crash" brings the value down to above where you bought at the height of the previous bubble. Dem's good feelins.*

*If you didn't sell

[Jrock]

Been through all 3. Sold and bought back in many times. Most of the time at a profit. Other times at a loss.

[rampantparanoia]

watched the rise in April, bought in on the crash.
Lived through November, didn't invest any new cash.

[oOoOo]

jun'11, apr'13, nov'13 (obv.)
fun everytime

[live627]

Only April and this one.

And the stress... oh, the painful stress...

[David Rabahy]

Brought my $10K (USD) in late-April/early-May (average basis just under $100); I have 94.75549464 BTC + 1 BTC (Casascius coin Christmas gift from my son) -- I gave 4*.2BTC away but am helping the recipients learn about Bitcoin.  Is there a list of crashes?

[mb300sd]

For everyone else who's managed to hold on through it all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pID03RrmKow

[cypherdoc]

nah these last two are baby crashes. the slow painful slide down from 17 was the real bitch. slowly sucking hope from the bravest

There will never be a crash as bad as the 32 to 1.96 slide.

That was torture.

[Salivan]

April and this one

I am cashing out bit by bit so I am losing coin all the way.  But I stick to principle that my BTC stash have to be worth more in fiat terms all the time. So I am selling  slow

If it  crashes terribly one day I hope to buy back

obviously I regret that  I wasn't here in 2011. After all is so much fun.. 

[zoinky]

Be nice if this thread had a poll.. been through 4 here.

[Pockets]

Three

The first two gave me the wisdom not to sell early or panic sell in this one.

[bitleif]

Been following BTC since before the 2011 crash - but didn't have the f**king balls to buy in at the time.

I even remember seeing the rise from $0.1 to $30 and thinking "wow, some of those guys just made a killing", and then STILL being to stupid to get in afterwards. That's painful to look back at now. Didn't get in until the after the April crash at about $80.

[scarsbergholden]

man i knew about bitcoin in 2009 and didnt buy in until end of june this year. happened to be a good place to buy in but man, missed out on a lot.....

[mskryxz]

Been following BTC since before the 2011 crash - but didn't have the f**king balls to buy in at the time.

I even remember seeing the rise from $0.1 to $30 and thinking "wow, some of those guys just made a killing", and then STILL being to stupid to get in afterwards. That's painful to look back at now. Didn't get in until the after the April crash at about $80.

Same here.

I actually knew of Bitcoin when it was in the pennies. I was on the forums reading and eventually even installed the miner on my PC. I stopped mining when I realized how slow my computer ran and couldn't even game Starcraft and WoW back then.

I got into it again because I heard people using it for Silk Road. Did some research and thought this was a pretty good idea. Bought in after the crash at $60. Been holding ever since and don't plan to until it makes it or it dies.

[beetcoin]

the first time i learned about BTC, it was going for $5 per coin.. i believe it was in 2011. i came to the game too late.. only was it this year that i actually invested and researched extensively.

[ThatDGuy]

i came to the game too late..

I would argue that if you're already here (and have some) you're hardly too late.

[NorbyTheGeek]

I'm a relative newbie, got in at $200.

I know full well that I know nothing about commodities trading, and would probably do something stupid, so my strategy is simply acquire and hold.  Dunno how long I'll hold, but for now I'm just holding.

If we have another "crash", I'll acquire some more.  Otherwise I'll just see what happens.

[600watt]

heard about it in june 2011 and bought right into the bubble at about 20. after crash mtgox got hacked, my account compromised and i thought bitcoin was some fkn scam and forgot all about it until march 2013. gox had kept my initial 100 btc all those years and gave it back to me upon request end of march 2013  .

next bubble. experienced horrors of panic sells, open orders on gox while unable to login, but came out clean. decided to invest big after the crash. way too optimistic i managed to buy at 130, which was the top before it slowly crumbled all the way down to 69. i had "lost" more than 40 % of the larger investment. horrible summer days. felt so relieved when it came back to 130 end of august.

next "bubble" (now): the coins are in cold storage. sold 5% of stash slightly above 800. will sell another 5% around 1600.

as anyone elses, my story is full of missed opportunities. would i have just bought a few days before or after i actually did in 2011...  would i have just have known about this forum earlier then march 2013.... would i have just bought in big not at this fkn top....

i am really thankful to witness this thing. great show.  

[Spaceman_Spiff]

heard about it in june 2011 and bought right into the bubble at about 20. after crash mtgox got hacked, my account compromised and i thought bitcoin was some fkn scam and forgot all about it until march 2013. gox had kept my initial 100 btc all those years and gave it back to me upon request end of march 2013  .

next bubble. experienced horrors of panic sells, open orders on gox while unable to login, but came out clean. decided to invest big after the crash. way too optimistic i managed to buy at 130, which was the top before it slowly crumbled all the way down to 69. i had "lost" more than 40 % of the larger investment. horrible summer days. felt so relieved when it came back to 130 end of august.

next "bubble" (now): the coins are in cold storage. sold 5% of stash slightly above 800. will sell another 5% around 1600.

as anyone elses, my story is full of missed opportunities. would i have just bought a few days before or after i actually did in 2011...  would i have just have known about this forum earlier then march 2013.... would i have just bought in big not at this fkn top....

i am really thankful to witness this thing. great show.  

Sounds to me like you are a winner.  Almost everybody has a "what if" story.

[SlipperySlope]

All of them.

My strategy is to buy some more throughout 2014 and hold until at least 2017.