From 4 Failed Challenges to a $1,356 Payout — Roman's Prop Trading Story
Roman is a 40-year-old port worker from Saint Petersburg who blew 4 prop challenges in a row before passing his fifth and receiving a $1,356 payout from a $25,000 account on Upscale. His trading strategy is breakout scalping with a 1:6 risk-reward ratio, a -1% stop and +6% take profit. The turning point came when Roman flipped his strategy: after years of going long-only with a negative 80% win rate, he started shorting — and started making money. According to FPFX Tech data from 300,000 prop firm accounts, only 7% of traders ever receive a payout, and a PipFarm survey of 2,777 traders (2025) shows that 37.5% name emotional trading as their primary cause of failure.
In this article you'll learn:
- How a trader from Saint Petersburg went through 5 challenges before getting his first payout
- Why he sold 8,000 Dogecoin for $100 — and how it changed his approach to trading
- What simple piece of advice flipped his trading from negative to positive
- How he scalps breakouts with a 1:6 risk-reward ratio
- Why Upscale taught him what years on CEX exchanges never did
Watch the full interview:
40 Years Old, Working at a Port, Dreaming of Freedom
Roman is 40. Lives in Saint Petersburg — a city of endless fog and gray, as he puts it. Works as a customs declarant at the port. Shift work, office paperwork.
A family, a growing son enrolled in every extracurricular activity available.
As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a sailor. That didn't work out. The port is as close to the sea as he got.
"I understand that trading can give more freedom — traveling and enjoying the world without being tied to a place"
8,000 Dogecoin and a Lesson That Could Have Been a Fortune
Roman first encountered crypto in 2014. Bitcoin was around $350 at the time.
He didn't have money to buy it. But he had a graphics card. One day of mining yielded 8,000 Dogecoin.
"For me it was more like playing around. Interesting from a technical standpoint — setting up programs, wallets, getting coins. Got them — and moved on"
In 2020, he sold those coins. For $100.
Had he waited until the 2021 peak — that would have been over $5,000. And if he'd mined for a month instead of a day...
Sound familiar?
First Encounter with Trading: Longs Only and Faith in Growth
In 2017, Roman started trading. Bittrex, spot, pairs only against Bitcoin — not even against the dollar.
His understanding of trading was simple: buy, wait, sell higher.
"I couldn't understand how people wrote: 'Made $10,000 from $500 in a week.' In my mind, trading was simple — bought it, it went down. Where did I make money?"
2018. Brutal bear market. Disappointment. A pause lasting several years.
Return Through TON and the Path to Upscale
In 2024, Roman came back — through the TON ecosystem on the Notcoin wave. He had mobile app development experience and understood the mechanics of viral crypto games.
Spent time in DeFi. Realized he needed to learn trading again.
"I thought trading was probably the easiest way to make money. Turns out — no. But that was the thinking"
He only learned about prop trading when Upscale launched in April 2024. Before that, he didn't even know such a thing existed.
"Upscale Completely Changed My Understanding of Trading"
His first reaction was confusion. Roman was used to CEX exchanges with 20–50x leverage. Blow $2,000 in a day? Easy. In an hour? Sure. In a second with 500x leverage? No problem.
But here — drawdown limits, discipline, risk management. On Upscale, maximum leverage for crypto is 1:5, and daily drawdown limits (5% for Basic, 3% for Accelerated) prevent uncontrolled losses. It's a fundamentally different environment compared to CEX exchanges, where a trader can lose their entire deposit in minutes.
"At first I didn't understand. I thought, how can you even trade here? I had a completely different picture. Upscale completely changed my understanding of trading"
5 Challenges Before the First Payout
Roman doesn't hide it: the path wasn't easy.
- Challenge #1: $1,000 — blown
- Challenge #2: $1,000 — blown
- Challenge #3: $10,000 — blown
- Challenge #4: $25,000 — blown
- Challenge #5: $25,000 — passed, payout $1,356
"There are many examples in the Upscale community that this is real. You just need to find your trading strategy"
A single payout covered all previous challenges — and then some. This is a typical pattern in prop trading: according to FPFX Tech data from 300,000 accounts, only 7% of traders ever receive a payout, but those who reach that stage often recoup all prior attempts with their very first withdrawal.
The Advice That Changed Everything
For years, Roman only traded long. The logic was simple: crypto had been rising since 2014. So it should always rise.
The result? Negative 80% win rate.
After talking with a trader from the Upscale community, he received a simple piece of advice:
"If your trading strategy has a negative 80% win rate — just do the opposite"
In August, he tried shorting. And started making money.
"That was probably the deepest revelation — that you could just do that"
This is an example of what the PipFarm survey (2025) confirms with data: the main cause of failure in prop trading isn't lack of strategy but the inability to adapt. Of 2,777 surveyed traders, 37.8% named lack of discipline as their primary problem, and 37.5% named emotional trading after losses.
How He Trades: Breakout Scalping
Style: scalping. Trades last 1–2 minutes, sometimes 20 seconds.
Why not swing trading?
"Psychologically, it's hard for me to hold a trade for 2–3 days. Leaving it overnight, waiting it out. I'm uncomfortable sitting in drawdown. Now within 1–2 minutes I know: either stop or take profit"
Primary coins: ZEC (Zcash) — passed both phases and received his payout trading it. Also Ethereum.
Timeframes: 15-minute chart for finding levels, 1-minute for entries.
Risk:Reward: 1:6. Stop at -1%, take profit at +6%.
Rules:
- Always one open trade at a time
- Position size is always the same
- Stop-loss and take-profit set immediately upon opening
"The main thing is a properly calculated risk-reward and pre-set stop and take profit"
PipFarm data supports this approach: 45.1% of successful prop traders make just 1–2 trades per day. Fewer trades plus strict risk management equals a working formula.
Two Rules He Broke (and Paid For)
Rule #1: Don't oversize your position.
Rule #2: After 5 stops in a row — take a break. An hour, two, three, or a day.
"I broke both of them. That pain — it comes from experience. All these mistakes are tested on myself"
It's especially hard to stop when the chart goes into a choppy range, collecting stops from both sides.
"It's very hard to fight the temptation to stop in time"
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
- Account: $25,000
- Purchased: October 21
- Phase 1 passed: November 7
- Phase 2 passed: November 20
- Time for both phases: 20 days
- Trading days to payout: 14
- Payout: $1,356 (net, after commission)
Why Prop Trading Teaches Better Than CEX
On regular exchanges, you can do anything. 100x leverage? Sure. Blow your deposit in a minute? Easy.
In prop trading, there are two simple constraints: daily drawdown and total drawdown.
"These two rules really force you to work on consistency, on discipline, on your trading behavior"
The result? Roman now trades by the same rules even on his personal accounts.
"I'm not going to crank up leverage to 40x anymore. I'm not going to oversize my risk. I found a working strategy — and now the most important thing is not to deviate from it"
Roman's Certificates
Words are good. But here's the proof:
Certificate for passing the $25,000 challenge
Payout certificate for $1,356
Where Did the First Payout Go?
Roman is honest: he didn't frame the payout receipt, as some suggest in chats. He didn't buy anything symbolic.
"Paid off some debts, something for living expenses. No particular need for anything important right now"
But the key takeaway isn't about things.
"What came was the understanding that I'm becoming financially independent. That was the goal. And that was the most important thing"
Advice from Roman
1. The market offers hundreds of opportunities every day. Missed a trade — no reason for FOMO. There will be more.
2. If your strategy doesn't work — try the opposite. Sounds simple. Works.
3. Stop-loss and take-profit aren't optional — they're essential. Set them immediately when opening a position.
4. 5 stops in a row — stop trading. Step away from the charts. Reassess the situation.
5. Consistency matters more than strategy. Upscale teaches discipline better than any course.
"Just try. Experience is the child of mistakes. Until you try — you won't know if it's for you"
Frequently Asked Questions About Roman's Story and Prop Trading
How many challenges does it take to get your first payout?
Every trader's path is different. Roman blew 4 challenges before passing his fifth and receiving a $1,356 payout. According to FPFX Tech data from 300,000 prop firm accounts, only 7% of traders ever receive a payout. But a single successful payout often covers all previous attempts: Roman spent less on 4 blown challenges than he earned from his fifth.
Can you scalp on a prop account?
Yes. Roman trades breakout scalping with trades lasting 1–2 minutes and a 1:6 risk-reward ratio (stop -1%, take profit +6%). Upscale has no restrictions on trading style — scalping, intraday, and swing trading are all permitted. The key is to stay within daily drawdown limits (5% for Basic, 3% for Accelerated) and total drawdown limits.
Is it normal to blow your first prop challenge?
Yes. Industry statistics show that only 5–10% of traders pass the evaluation phase on their first attempt. Roman blew four challenges in a row, including $1,000, $10,000, and $25,000 accounts. The key is to analyze mistakes after each failure and adjust your strategy rather than repeating the same actions.
How is prop trading better than trading on CEX exchanges?
CEX exchanges offer 20–100x leverage and higher, which allows traders to blow their entire deposit within minutes. Prop trading has two built-in constraints — daily drawdown and total drawdown — that force systematic trading. Roman notes that after Upscale, he applies the same rules even on his personal accounts: no excessive leverage or risk.
What coin is best for scalping on a prop account?
Roman passed both challenge phases and received his payout trading ZEC (Zcash). He chose it because it responds well to breakout levels. He also trades Ethereum. The choice of instrument depends on your strategy: for scalping, liquidity and predictable technical levels matter most.
How much does it cost to start prop trading on Upscale?
Upscale offers accounts from $5,000 to $200,000 starting at $59. Roman started with $1,000 accounts (previously available), and received his first payout from a $25,000 account. Challenge pricing depends on account size, challenge type (Basic, Accelerated, Turbo), and asset category.
Your Story Can Start Today
Roman went through 5 challenges before getting his first payout. He could have quit after the first. Or the second. Or the fourth.
But he knew: success stories exist. So it's possible. You just need to find your strategy.
And he found his.
Prop trading is the opportunity to trade with $5,000, $50,000, or $200,000 — risking only the cost of the challenge. On Upscale, accounts range from $5,000 to $200,000 starting at $59.
If you have the skills — it's time to monetize them.
Start now: 👉 Upscale.trade | Telegram Bot
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This story was recorded in January 2026. All figures are verified by on-chain payout certificates.
