Altcoins can pay off, but only in a short window — and that window is narrow enough that most traders end up giving back a chunk of their gains.

• The playbook is to wait for Bitcoin to run first, then move into whatever altcoin theme catches fire.
• That hot phase lasts about two to three months, and the advice is to sell out before it ends.
• Nobody catches the exact top — expect to sell well below the high because prices move faster than orders do.
• These coins swing wildly because there is little real demand behind most of them.

Outlook: Altcoin gains stay tied to Bitcoin's cycle, with the payoff going to whoever leaves early rather than whoever holds longest.