How to Trade on JudgeMarket: A Complete Beginner's Guide

What if you could bet on history? Not on what will happen next, but on who actually mattered — and how much. That is exactly what JudgeMarket lets you do. It is a reputation trading platform where every historical figure and public personality has a live price between 0 and 100, and that price is set entirely by traders like you.

Whether you think Albert Einstein is the most important physicist who ever lived or you believe Nikola Tesla is criminally undervalued, JudgeMarket gives you a way to put your conviction behind your opinion — and profit from it.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to go from zero to your first trade.

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What Is JudgeMarket?

JudgeMarket is a prediction-style market, but instead of betting on future events, you trade on the reputation and legacy of real people. Every figure on the platform — from Cleopatra to Elon Musk — has a price that reflects the collective judgment of all traders.

The currency is called OPS (Opinion Points). When you sign up, you receive 1,000 OPS for free. You use OPS to buy and sell positions on historical figures. If the crowd agrees with your assessment over time, you profit. If they disagree, you lose OPS.

Think of it as a stock market for legacy. Instead of trading shares in companies, you are trading shares in people's reputations.

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Step 1: Create Your Account

Getting started takes less than a minute.

1. Go to judgemarket.com and click Sign Up.
2. Choose a username and password. That is it — no email verification, no crypto wallet, no KYC.
3. You will immediately receive 1,000 OPS in your account balance.

There is no barrier to entry. You can start trading the moment you finish signing up.

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Step 2: Explore the Market

Once you are logged in, you will see the main market page listing every tradable figure. Each card shows:

• The figure's name and title (e.g., "Isaac Newton — Physicist & Mathematician")
• Current price (0 to 100)
• Price change over the last 24 hours
• Trading volume

You can filter figures by era (Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, 19th Century, 20th Century, Contemporary) and by field (Science, Politics, Art, Warfare, Business, Pop Culture, Philosophy, Activism, Religion). You can also sort by volume, price, or alphabetically.

Take some time to browse. Click on a few figures that interest you. Check out Leonardo da Vinci to see a high-priced blue-chip figure, or look at Karl Marx for a more volatile, controversial one.

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Step 3: Understand OPS and Prices

OPS (Opinion Points) are the unit of currency on JudgeMarket. Every trader starts with 1,000 OPS, and you can earn more through successful trades.

Prices range from 0 to 100. A price of 95 for Albert Einstein means the market collectively rates his significance very highly. A price of 72 for Elon Musk means opinions are more divided.

Prices are not set by any algorithm or editorial team. They emerge purely from the buying and selling activity of all traders. When more people buy (go long), the price rises. When more people sell (go short), the price falls.

Your balance is the OPS available to trade. Your frozen amount is OPS locked up in open limit orders that have not yet been filled.

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Step 4: Place Your First Trade

Navigate to any figure's page. You will see two primary actions: Long and Short.

Going Long (Buying)

If you believe Marie Curie is undervalued and her price should be higher, you go long. You are betting that other traders will come to agree with you and push the price up.

Going Short (Selling)

If you think Napoleon Bonaparte is overrated and his price should be lower, you go short. You profit when the price drops. For a deeper dive into shorting, see our guide on how to short historical figures.

Choosing Your Order Type

Market Order — The simplest option. You specify how much OPS you want to spend, and the order fills immediately at the best available price. Great for beginners who want instant execution.

Limit Order — You set a specific price at which you are willing to buy or sell. The order goes into the order book and waits until someone is willing to trade at your price. This gives you better price control but your order might not fill right away.

Placing the Trade

1. Click Long or Short on the figure's page.
2. Choose Market or Limit order type.
3. Enter the amount of OPS you want to commit.
4. If it is a limit order, set your target price.
5. Click Confirm.

That is it. Your first trade is done.

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Ready to start? Sign up for free and claim your 1,000 OPS. The market is open and history is waiting for your judgment.

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Step 5: Read the Order Book

Every figure's trading page includes an order book — a live display of all open buy and sell orders. Understanding the order book is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a trader. For a more advanced breakdown, check out our chart reading guide.

The order book has two sides:

• Bids (Buy Orders) — Shown in green. These are traders waiting to buy at various price levels. The highest bid is the best price someone is currently willing to pay.
• Asks (Sell Orders) — Shown in red. These are traders waiting to sell. The lowest ask is the cheapest price at which someone is willing to sell.

The gap between the highest bid and the lowest ask is called the spread. A tight spread (small gap) means the market is liquid and you can trade easily. A wide spread means fewer traders are active on that figure, so you might experience more slippage on market orders.

What to Look For

• Thick order book — Lots of orders on both sides indicates strong interest and liquidity. Figures like Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci tend to have deep order books.
• Thin order book — Few orders means your trades can move the price significantly. This can be an opportunity or a risk, depending on your strategy.
• Large walls — If there is a huge order sitting at a specific price, it acts as a support (bid side) or resistance (ask side) level. The price often has trouble breaking through these walls.

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Step 6: Manage Your Positions

Click your profile icon and go to Portfolio to see everything you hold. You will find:

• Open Positions — Every figure you currently have a position in, showing your entry price, current price, quantity, and unrealized profit or loss (P&L).
• Open Orders — Limit orders that are waiting to be filled. You can cancel these at any time to free up your frozen OPS.
• Trade History — A complete log of every trade you have executed.

One unique feature of JudgeMarket: you can hold both a long AND short position on the same figure simultaneously. This might sound counterintuitive, but it allows for advanced strategies like hedging or playing both directions during periods of high volatility.

Closing a Position

To take profits or cut losses:

• If you are long, place a sell (ask) order to close.
• If you are short, place a buy (bid) order to close.
• Use Reduce Only mode to ensure you are only closing an existing position, not accidentally opening a new one in the opposite direction.

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Step 7: Learn the Key Terms

Term	What It Means
OPS	Opinion Points — the currency used for all trading on JudgeMarket
Long	A position that profits when the price goes up
Short	A position that profits when the price goes down
Bid	A buy order in the order book
Ask	A sell order in the order book
Spread	The difference between the best bid and best ask
Frozen	OPS locked in open limit orders
P&L	Profit and Loss — how much you have gained or lost on a position
Market Order	An order that fills immediately at the best available price
Limit Order	An order that waits at a specific price until matched

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10 Tips for Beginner Traders

1. Start small. Use 10 to 50 OPS on your first few trades. Get comfortable with how the platform works before committing larger amounts.

2. Have a thesis. Do not trade randomly. Before you buy or sell, ask yourself: why do I think this person is over or undervalued? What would change my mind?

3. Watch the chart before you trade. Every figure has a price history chart with candlestick data. Look at recent trends. Is the price rising, falling, or moving sideways?

4. Use limit orders for better prices. Market orders are convenient but you pay whatever the current best price is. Limit orders let you set your own price and can save you OPS over time.

5. Diversify. Do not put all your OPS into one figure. Spread your positions across different eras and fields. Our guide on building a prediction market portfolio covers this in depth.

6. Pay attention to volume. High-volume figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Nikola Tesla have tighter spreads and more predictable price action. Low-volume figures can be more profitable but also more risky.

7. Check the FAQ pages. Every figure has a dedicated FAQ page with background information that can inform your trading thesis.

8. Do not chase big moves. If a figure's price just jumped 10 points, the move might already be over. Wait for a pullback or find a different opportunity.

9. Keep some OPS in reserve. Do not commit 100% of your balance. Keep at least 20-30% available so you can react to new opportunities.

10. Learn from the community. Watch what high-volume figures are doing. Check out the compare pages to see how related figures stack up against each other.

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What Makes JudgeMarket Different

Unlike traditional prediction markets that settle on a specific date based on a binary outcome, JudgeMarket is a continuous market. Prices move constantly based on collective opinion. There is no expiration date. You can hold a position for five minutes or five years.

This makes it closer to a stock market in feel, but the underlying "asset" is not a company's earnings — it is humanity's evolving judgment of a person's significance. That means your edge comes not from financial analysis, but from your understanding of history, culture, and public sentiment.

For a broader perspective on how prediction markets work and where JudgeMarket fits in, read our piece on how to use prediction markets in 2026.

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Your First Trade: A Walkthrough

Let us put it all together with a concrete example.

You have been reading about the Renaissance and you believe Leonardo da Vinci is fairly priced at 99, but you think William Shakespeare at 95 should be higher because of his enduring influence on the English language.

1. Navigate to Shakespeare's page.
2. Click Long.
3. Select Limit Order.
4. Set your price to 94 (just below the current price, hoping to get a slightly better entry).
5. Enter 100 OPS as your order size.
6. Click Confirm.

Your order is now sitting in the bid side of the order book at 94. If the price dips to 94 and someone sells at that level, your order fills. Now you own a long position on Shakespeare at 94.

A few days later, the price has risen to 97. You decide to take profit.

1. Go to your Portfolio.
2. Click on your Shakespeare position.
3. Place a sell (ask) order at 97.
4. Your position closes and you pocket the difference.

Congratulations — you just profited from your judgment of history.

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Ready to Start Trading?

You now know everything you need to place your first trade on JudgeMarket. Create an account, claim your 1,000 OPS, and start putting your knowledge of history to work.

The market is always open. Every buy and sell is a vote on who mattered and how much. The question is: what does your judgment say?

Create your free account and start trading now