# Research Traders

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### Overview

Some of the best alpha in prediction markets comes from watching what other traders are doing. Research Traders lets you look up any Polymarket user by their wallet address to see their profile, trading history, and current positions.

**What you can do:**

* View any trader's profile and position summary
* See their recent trading activity
* Identify what markets they're active in
* Understand their conviction based on position sizes
* Find smart money to follow

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### Trader Profiles

Look up any trader's profile by their wallet address to get an overview of their activity and performance.

| Prompt                                          | Interpretation                        |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| "Show me this trader's profile: 0xABC..."       | Profile summary and position overview |
| "Look up this Polymarket trader: 0xABC..."      | Full trading profile                  |
| "Who is this trader? 0xABC..."                  | Profile and activity summary          |
| "Check out this wallet on Polymarket: 0xABC..." | Trader overview                       |

#### What You'll See

| Field              | What It Shows                     |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| **Address**        | Wallet address                    |
| **Positions**      | Summary of current holdings       |
| **Markets Active** | Which markets they're trading     |
| **Position Sizes** | How much capital they've deployed |

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### Trader Activity

See a trader's recent trades to understand what they're buying and selling, and when.

| Prompt                                            | Interpretation                  |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| "Show me this trader's recent activity: 0xABC..." | Recent buys and sells           |
| "What has 0xABC... been trading?"                 | Recent trading activity         |
| "Show recent trades for this wallet: 0xABC..."    | Execution history               |
| "What markets is 0xABC... active in?"             | Markets they've traded recently |

#### What to Look For

* **Large buys on one side**: Strong conviction on an outcome
* **Scaling into a position**: Multiple buys over time at different prices signals they're building a thesis
* **Sudden exits**: Selling a large position could mean they know something changed
* **New market entries**: Traders entering a market they haven't traded before may have fresh information
* **Buying against the trend**: Contrarian bets from profitable traders can signal mispricing\\

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### Finding Traders to Research

You won't always have a specific address in mind. Here's how to find interesting traders to look up:

#### From Top Holders

The most direct path. When you analyze a market, check who holds the largest positions and then research those addresses.

```
1. "Who are the top holders on the BTC $150k market?"
   → See the biggest positions and their wallet addresses

2. "Show me this trader's profile: 0xABC..."
   → Look up the top holder

3. "What has 0xABC... been trading?"
   → See what else they're active in
```

#### From Market Activity

If you see a large trade move the price on a market, look up who made it.

#### From Community

Polymarket traders sometimes share their wallet addresses publicly. If you find a trader with a strong track record, save their address for ongoing research.

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### Research Workflows

#### Following Smart Money

```
1. Find a market you're interested in
2. "Who are the top holders?"              → Get whale addresses
3. "Show me this trader's profile"         → Check their track record
4. "What has this trader been trading?"    → See their other bets
5. If they have conviction → Consider following their lead
```

#### Validating Your Thesis

```
1. You want to buy Yes on a market
2. "Who are the top holders?"              → Are whales on the same side?
3. "Show me the top Yes holder's activity" → Are they adding or reducing?
4. If smart money agrees → More confidence in your trade
5. If smart money disagrees → Reconsider or dig deeper
```

#### Discovering New Markets

```
1. Find a trader with a good track record
2. "What has 0xABC... been trading?"       → See their recent activity
3. Look for markets you haven't discovered yet
4. Research those markets independently
5. Trade if the opportunity looks good
```

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### Combining Research with Analysis

Trader research is most powerful when combined with market analysis:

```
1. Discover a market                        → Search or browse
2. Check the price and trend                → Token data + price history
3. Check liquidity                          → Order book
4. Check who's positioned                   → Top holders
5. Research the top holders                 → Profiles + activity
6. Make an informed decision                → Trade or pass
```

{% hint style="info" %}
This gives you the full picture: what the market thinks (price), how it's trending (history), whether there's liquidity (order book), and what the smart money is doing (trader research).
{% endhint %}

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### Pro Tips

1. **Start with top holders** - The best way to find interesting traders is through the markets you're already watching
2. **Track record matters** - One big win doesn't make someone smart money. Look for consistent activity across multiple markets
3. **Watch for size, not frequency** - A trader putting $10,000 on one outcome has more conviction than someone making 100 small bets
4. **Contrarian whales are worth watching** - If a large trader is buying the opposite side of a lopsided market, they may know something
5. **Don't blindly copy** - Use trader research as one input, not your entire strategy. They could be hedging or have a different time horizon
6. **Save addresses of good traders** - Build your own watchlist of traders whose activity you want to monitor over time

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