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Kalshi · crypto up or down · 1m to 1W charts

Crypto small-window desk

Pick a coin and a timeframe. You get the live chart, the Kalshi 15-minute contract behind it and your payout after fees. The panel stays on the 15-minute contract on every tab.

BTC hourly deskHow to read itLesson 05
BTC / USD Coinbase · 5-minute candles

Dot = the Kalshi contract in the panel (15m). Every other tab charts the same 15-minute contract.

Short-term read

Move needed
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Typical move
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ATR 14
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15m range
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1h range
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vs VWAP
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Heuristics, not odds of winning. σ = recent realized volatility of these candles, scaled to the time left.

Signals

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Chart patterns from these candles. Heuristics, not odds of winning.

    Coinbase BTC-USD candles, your time zone. Kalshi settles on CF Benchmarks’ BRTI, which includes Coinbase. Charts by TradingView

    Last 24 windows

    Settled Kalshi 15-minute results. Oldest at the top, most recent at the bottom.

      Tap a row to mark that window on the chart. Final = Kalshi’s settlement value.

      Session check · this device

      Time on the desk today

      Counts only while a desk page is open and on screen. Resets at midnight.

      The most you’re OK losing today. We’ll keep it in front of you.

      Saved only in this browser. Nothing is sent to us. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.

      How to read this desk

      Four numbers, then a decision

      Every tab ends in the same question: is the price you'd pay below what you think the contract is worth, after the fee?

      Lesson 05: 15-minute markets
      1. To beat

        The strike. A 15-minute contract's strike is set when its window opens. An hourly contract has one market per strike, so the desk starts on the strike nearest the current BTC price and lets you pick another.

      2. Price now and the gap

        The live Coinbase price and how far it sits above or below the strike. Kalshi settles on CF Benchmarks' BRTI, which Coinbase feeds into, so the two track closely but aren't identical.

      3. Up and Down prices

        Up is the Kalshi ask for YES. Down is 100 minus the YES bid, which is what NO costs you. A price in cents reads as the market's chance in percent.

      4. If you're right, if you're wrong

        What your stake buys at the current ask, after Kalshi's taker fee. If you're wrong, the whole stake is gone. That's why the stake is the first thing to decide, not the last.

      15m

      Real contract. KXBTC15M opens a new window on every quarter hour and settles on the 60-second BRTI average at the close.

      1h · 4h · 1D · 1W

      Chart views. Longer candles on top of the same 15-minute contract. Kalshi’s hourly KXBTCD strike ladder lives on the BTC hourly desk, where you pick the hour and the strike.

      5m

      Our layout. The last 5 minutes of the live 15-minute window, shaded, with a countdown to when that phase starts.

      30m · 45m

      Our layout. Two or three 15-minute windows in a row. Each leg is a separate trade; a future leg's strike reads "Strike set when the window opens" until Kalshi sets it.

      1m

      Chart view. 1-minute candles on top of the current 15-minute contract.

      ETH · SOL · XRP · DOGE

      Real contracts. KXETH15M, KXSOL15M, KXXRP15M and KXDOGE15M work like KXBTC15M: a new up-or-down window every quarter hour, each settling on a CF Benchmarks index. The hourly strike ladder we cover is BTC only (KXBTCD); every chart tab works for every coin.

      Fees on fast markets

      A coin flip needs a real edge

      Most 15-minute windows trade near 50¢, and that's where Kalshi's fee is highest. The spread and the fee have to be beaten before you make anything.

      Worked example: 100 Up contracts at a 51¢ ask

      Cost is $51.00 plus a $1.75 fee (0.07 × 100 × 0.51 × 0.49, rounded up to the cent), so $52.75 in total. They pay $100 if BTC finishes above the strike. You need to be right more than 52.75% of the time just to break even, and selling early adds a second fee.

      Fee formula: Kalshi's taker fee, 0.07 × contracts × price × (1 − price), rounded up to the cent; resting limit orders can pay less. predictionmarketspicks.com calls the spread plus fees on a near-coin-flip contract "a steep, constant drag". TheLines puts the fee at 1¢ to 2¢ per contract.

      Sizing

      ¼ Kelly, capped at 5%

      Full Kelly for a contract at price P when you believe the chance is q is (q − P) ÷ (1 − P). We use a quarter of that, never more than 5% of your bankroll, and nothing at all when the number is zero or negative.

      Full Kelly—
      ¼ Kelly—
      Stake—

      Ignores fees, which lower it further. Your chance is a guess; if it's wrong, Kelly oversizes. Source: betstamp on Kelly, which advises never risking more than 5% on one bet.

      Take a break between windows

      A new window every 15 minutes isn't a reason to trade every one

      Fast markets reward slow rules. Decide how many windows you'll trade and your loss limit for the session before the first one, and stop when either runs out. If you lost the last window, sit out the next one.

      • Set a money limit for the session before you start, and keep it.
      • Never raise the stake to win back the last window.
      • Skip any window where you can't say why the price is wrong.
      • Walk away after a set number of windows, win or lose.
      Lesson 05: 15-minute marketsLesson 04: loss limits

      TheLines' guide to these markets makes the same point: "Take breaks. Avoid rushing into consecutive trades."

      21+Only risk what you can afford to lose. This desk is information, not advice, and PM Countdown isn't affiliated with Kalshi. Kalshi users can set funding caps and opt-outs in the Responsible Trading Hub. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER. Responsible gambling guide