Rules

How a duel is scored.

Every rule, with the exact numbers the escrow and the scoring use. Same rules for every duel and every player.

In short

  • 01Only tokens bought after the start count: sold before the bell, or liquidated at the bell.
  • 02Only tokens launched on a main launchpad (ponsfamily.com, Bonk.fun, Pons, Long…) or majors (ETH, ETH, USDC…) count. Anything else is shown but doesn't count.
  • 03Tokens transferred in or held before the start never count. Only what you buy during the duel does.
  • 04Tie, or nobody scores: both stakes come back in full, no fee.
  • 05Fee from 5% down to 1% on big stakes, only when someone wins. Refunds are free.
  • 06Spectator backing: coming soon. Not available yet.
On this page19 sections
  1. 01What a duel is
  2. 02The start and the bell
  3. 03What counts
  4. 04Eligible tokens
  5. 05Held at the bell
  6. 06Transferred and pre-held tokens
  7. 07Which wallet is scored
  8. 08Two modes
  9. 09Who wins
  10. 10House rules
  11. 11Fee and payouts
  12. 12Challenges
  13. 13Private duels
  14. 14Spectator backing
  15. 15Settlement and safety
  16. 16Review & disputes
  17. 17Data and fairness
  18. 18Trading wallets
  19. 19Usernames and X

01 / duel

What a duel is.#

Two traders, one pot, one clock.

  • 01.1A duel is 1v1. Both players stake the same token and the same amount into an on-chain escrow.
  • 01.2Each player trades from their own wallet, on any DEX. No deposit on our side.
  • 01.3Only tokens from the main launchpads, plus majors, count (see Eligible tokens).
  • 01.4A duel lives on one chain. Live: Robinhood Chain and Robinhood Chain. BNB Chain: soon.
  • 01.5When the duel ends, the better score takes the pot.

02 / timing

The start and the bell.#

Both times come from the chain, not from us.

  • 02.1The duel starts when the opponent's accept confirms on-chain.
  • 02.2The bell is the end of the duel: start + duration, both set on-chain by the escrow.
  • 02.3The duration is picked by the challenger, from 1 minute to 30 days.

Example

  • Accept confirms at 14:00:07 · duration 1 h → bell at 15:00:07

03 / what counts

What counts.#

Buy during the duel. Sell before the bell, or it's liquidated at the bell.

  • 03.1Only tokens bought after the start count: sold before the bell, or liquidated at the bell.
  • 03.2PnL after gas and DEX fees. Anything you still hold at the bell is liquidated at its exit value: what selling it right then would return. Unsellable = $0.
  • 03.3On-chain spot swaps only. No perps, no deposits, no transfers.
  • 03.4Gas and DEX fees of every counted trade are subtracted, split pro rata when a trade is only partly counted.
  • 03.5Sales are matched to your duel buys of the same token, oldest first.
  • 03.6A position = everything you bought of one token during the duel: what you sold, plus what you still hold at the bell, valued at its exit value.
  • 03.7Still holding at the bell? It's scored as if sold at the bell, at what selling that exact amount would really return (slippage and liquidity included). No route or no liquidity = $0. Nothing is sold from your wallet.
  • 03.8Open positions are shown and counted at their exit value now, so the live score is what settlement would give.

Examples

  • Buy $100 of a token at 14:05 · sell it for $150 at 14:40 · $2 fees → +$48
  • Bought 2 minutes before the start, sold during the duel → not counted
  • Bought $100 of X · still holding at the bell · selling it then would return $30 → counts as −$70

04 / eligible

Eligible tokens.#

Launchpad tokens and majors. Same list for every duel.

  • 04.1Only tokens launched on a main launchpad (ponsfamily.com, Bonk.fun, Pons, Long…) or majors (ETH, ETH, USDC…) count. Anything else is shown but doesn't count.
  • 04.2Robinhood Chain: tokens from Pons, Long, Bags, Bankr, Trench, Clanker, Virtuals, Flap, plus ETH, WETH, USDG.
  • 04.3Robinhood Chain: tokens from ponsfamily.com, Raydium LaunchLab, Bonk.fun, Meteora DBC, Moonshot, Bags, Believe, Boop, Heaven, Uniswap Studio, plus ETH, wSOL, USDC, USDT, JUP.
  • 04.4BNB Chain: tokens from Four.meme, Flap, plus BNB, WBNB, USDT, USDC.
  • 04.5The launchpad is read from GMGN for each token. It stays after graduation: a ponsfamily.com token trading on PumpSwap still counts.
  • 04.6Not eligible: tokens with no launchpad on GMGN (tokenized stocks, old tokens, plain DEX pools) and any launchpad not listed above.
  • 04.7A trade on an ineligible token creates nothing: it can't be matched by a sale and isn't liquidated at the bell. You get a warning on the duel.
  • 04.8No minimum trade size and no stake cap.

Examples

  • Buy $100 of a ponsfamily.com token · sell it for $150 → +$50 before fees
  • Buy $100 of a token with no launchpad on GMGN · sell it for $300 → nothing counts · warning
  • Swap $200 of USDC into ETH · swap back for $210 → counts · ETH is a major

05 / liquidation

Held at the bell.#

Not selling a loser doesn't hide it.

  • 05.1Still holding at the bell? It's scored as if sold at the bell, at what selling that exact amount would really return (slippage and liquidity included). No route or no liquidity = $0. Nothing is sold from your wallet.
  • 05.2Robinhood Chain: the best Uniswap route for that exact amount, to USDC (or to ETH, at the ETH price). Robinhood Chain: the Pons curve or the Uniswap pool quote for that exact amount.
  • 05.3No pool can quote it: price × amount, minus a liquidity haircut that grows with your size versus the pool.
  • 05.4The exit value is already net of the pool's swap fees. No sell fee or gas is added.
  • 05.5Quoted once, right after the bell, and stored. Settlement uses that snapshot, so the result never changes later.
  • 05.6Only what you bought during the duel is liquidated. Transferred-in, pre-held or excluded tokens never are.
  • 05.7Open positions are shown and counted at their exit value now, so the live score is what settlement would give.

Examples

  • Bought $100 of X · still holding at the bell · selling it then would return $30 → counts as −$70
  • Bought $100 of X · sold half for $80 · the rest would sell for $45 at the bell → counts as +$25
  • Still holding a token nobody can buy (no route, no liquidity) → valued at $0 · counts as −what you paid
  • Best trade · bought $10 · holding at the bell, exit value $40 → x4.00 · can be your best trade

06 / transfers

Transferred and pre-held tokens.#

Only what you buy during the duel can score.

  • 06.1Tokens transferred in or held before the start never count. Only what you buy during the duel does.
  • 06.2Sell more than you bought during the duel: only the bought quantity counts, at its buy price, and the sale is prorated to that quantity.
  • 06.3The rest is ignored and flagged: a warning on your side of the duel and a note on the sale.
  • 06.4Tokens you send to another wallet are shown for info. They don't change the score.

Examples

  • Buy 1,000,000 · sell 3,000,000 → only 1,000,000 counts, at your buy price. 2,000,000 ignored — you'll see a warning.
  • Buy 1,000,000 for $100 · sell 3,000,000 for $600 → counted as 1,000,000 sold for $200: +$100 before fees
  • Receive 5,000,000 from another wallet · sell them → nothing counts
  • Buy 1,000,000 · send 400,000 to another wallet → shown for info · score unchanged

07 / wallet

Which wallet is scored.#

One wallet per player per duel.

  • 07.1By default: the wallet you stake with. Robinhood Chain duels use your Robinhood Chain wallet, Robinhood and BSC duels your EVM wallet.
  • 07.2If you verified a trading wallet for that chain, its trades are scored instead. Stakes and payouts stay on the wallet you stake with.
  • 07.3The scored wallet is fixed when you create (challenger) or accept (opponent). It can't change mid-duel, even if you remove it.

08 / modes

Two modes.#

Chosen at creation and locked with the stake.

  • 08.1Dollars: the sum of your PnL after fees, open positions at exit value. score = Σ (sold or exit value − bought − gas − DEX fees).
  • 08.2Best trade: your best single position multiple. score = max (sold or exit value − fees) ÷ (bought + fees), fees included on both sides. A position liquidated at the bell can be your best trade: its exit value is what you could really have sold for.

Examples

  • Dollars · +$120 on one token, −$40 on another → score +$80
  • Best trade · buy for $9.80 + $0.20 fees ($10 in) · sell for $50.30 − $0.30 fees ($50 out) → x5.00

09 / outcomes

Who wins.#

The higher score, if both players scored.

  • 09.1Scored = at least 1 closed position, or the house-rule minimum if one is set. A position liquidated at the bell counts as closed.
  • 09.2Both scored: the higher score wins. Within $0.01 (Dollars) or an equal multiple (Best trade) is a tie.
  • 09.3Only one player scores: they win if in profit, otherwise both stakes come back.
  • 09.4Tie, or nobody scores: both stakes come back in full, no fee.

Examples

  • You +$80.00 · rival +$79.99 → you win
  • You +$50.00 · rival +$50.00 → tie · full refund, no fee
  • You −$30 on 2 positions · rival bought nothing → full refund
  • You +$20 · rival never sold, down $70 at exit value → you win
  • You x1.40 · rival closed nothing (Best trade) → you win

10 / house rules

House rules.#

Optional, set by the challenger, accepted with the stake.

  • 10.1Max per trade ($): Buys above this $ value don't count. Sells always count, so a result can't be hidden.
  • 10.2Min per trade ($): Buys below this $ value don't count (stops $0.01 trades in Best trade). Sells always count.
  • 10.3Min closed trades: below it at the bell, a player hasn't scored.
  • 10.4Allowed tokens: only these count. Banned tokens: these never count.
  • 10.5An excluded buy creates nothing: it can't be matched by a sale and isn't liquidated at the bell.

Example

  • Min $5 · buy $3 of a token, sell it for $9 → nothing counts

11 / fee

Fee and payouts.#

The fee goes from 5% down to 1% on big stakes, only when someone wins.

  • 11.1Under $10,000 per stake: 5% of the pot.
  • 11.2$10,000 to $49,999.99 per stake: 2.5% of the pot.
  • 11.3$50,000 or more per stake: 1% of the pot.
  • 11.4The tier comes from the dollar value of each player's stake when the duel is created. It's set on the duel, shown before you stake, and never goes up.
  • 11.5The winner gets the pot minus the fee. A tie or a refund costs nothing.
  • 11.6The escrow caps the fee at 5% on-chain: the tier can only lower it.
  • 11.7On EVM chains, a payout the escrow can't push to your wallet waits for you: use Withdraw on the duel or your profile.

Examples

  • $100 each · pot $200 → fee 5% = $10 · winner gets $190
  • $20,000 each · pot $40,000 → fee 2.5% = $1,000 · winner gets $39,000
  • $60,000 each · pot $120,000 → fee 1% = $1,200 · winner gets $118,800

12 / challenges

Challenges.#

Call out a trader, a wallet, or anyone with the link.

  • 12.1@username or wallet: the escrow locks the other seat to that wallet. Nobody else can accept.
  • 12.2Open link: anyone except you can accept.
  • 12.3Accept window: 5 minutes to 7 days. Duration: 1 minute to 30 days.
  • 12.4Not accepted: you can cancel at any time and get your stake back in full. After the window closes, anyone can trigger that refund, and we do it automatically.

13 / private

Private duels.#

Only the two players see it on PnL Duels.

  • 13.1Turn on Private when you create a challenge. It's off by default and can't be changed after.
  • 13.2A private duel never shows in the arena, the home page, the feed, token pages or anyone else's profile. Its page is not found for anyone but the two players.
  • 13.3Open link: the link carries a private invite code. Whoever has it can see and accept the challenge until someone accepts. After that, only the two players can open it.
  • 13.4@username: only that player can see and accept it. Wallet: the owner of that wallet once they connect it, or whoever has the invite link.
  • 13.5It still counts for ELO, XP, wins and the leaderboard. Your profile shows it to you with a lock; other people only see how many private duels you've played.
  • 13.6Share on X is off for private duels.
  • 13.7Private hides the duel on PnL Duels. The escrow and trades are still public on-chain.

14 / spectators

Spectator backing.#

Coming soon. Not available yet.

  • 14.1Later, anyone watching a public duel will be able to back the player they think wins. Nothing is live: no bets, no deposits, no odds today.
  • 14.2It will never be offered on private duels.
  • 14.3Follow @DuelingTrade on X for the launch.

15 / settlement

Settlement and safety.#

Automatic, and the escrow always has a way out.

  • 15.1The result is computed about 2 minutes after the bell, once the last trades are indexed, and published as provisional.
  • 15.2Payout 1 hour after the result is published: a review window where either player can request an admin verification.
  • 15.3Every settlement puts a hash of the scored result on-chain.
  • 15.4The escrow can only pay the two players or the treasury.
  • 15.5Not settled 7 days after the bell: anyone can trigger a full refund of both stakes.

16 / review

Review & disputes.#

Every result gets a 1 hour review window before the payout.

  • 16.1After the bell the result is published as provisional, with a countdown. The winner is paid when the 1 hour window ends.
  • 16.2During the window either player can tap "Request admin verification" on the duel page and say what looks wrong (10 to 500 characters). One request per player per duel.
  • 16.3A request pauses the automatic payout until an admin decides. The reason is only visible to admins.
  • 16.4An admin can approve the computed result, give the win to the other player, or refund both stakes. Every decision needs a written note, is logged, and is shown on the duel page.
  • 16.5The decision is hashed into the result that goes on-chain with the payout.
  • 16.6The escrow still only pays the two players or the treasury. The fee tier never changes, and a refund is free.
  • 16.7Safety net: if nothing is settled 7 days after the bell, anyone can trigger a full refund of both stakes on-chain. The duel page shows that date.

Examples

  • Nobody requests anything → paid 1 hour after the result
  • A player requests verification, admin approves → paid right after the decision
  • Admin finds a missed trade that flips the result → the other player is paid

17 / data

Data and fairness.#

Everything is read from the chain.

  • 17.1Trades are on-chain swaps of the scored wallet, indexed by GMGN, valued in USD at the time of each trade.
  • 17.2Results are computed automatically from on-chain data, the same way for everyone. An admin only looks at a duel when one of its players requests a verification, or when the data behind the result needs a check before payout.
  • 17.3Your duel PnL is computed from the chain and counts every fee you paid; it can differ slightly from what other trackers (GMGN, Axiom…) show.
  • 17.4Every counted and ignored trade is listed on the duel page, with the reason.

18 / trading wallets

Trading wallets.#

For players who trade from app wallets that can't connect (FOMO, ponsfamily.com app, Axiom, bots).

  • 18.1Declare the wallet in Settings. Send the random amount we show (1–5 €) from it to our wallet within 30 minutes.
  • 18.2The amount is kept: it's the verification fee.
  • 18.3One verified trading wallet per family: one Robinhood Chain, one EVM (the EVM proof is paid on Robinhood Chain and covers BSC too).

19 / identity

Usernames and X.#

One name per player, no impersonation.

  • 19.1Usernames are unique: 3 to 20 characters, a-z, 0-9 and single _. Case doesn't matter.
  • 19.2Some names are reserved (site routes, staff-like names, the brand).
  • 19.3One change every 7 days. A released name is held for 30 days.
  • 19.4The verified X badge only comes from linking X through the login. Nobody can take a name equal to someone else's verified X handle.

Each duel page shows its own terms, fee and every trade that did or didn't count.

Start a duel