# Rule Pitfalls Here are the most common rule pitfalls to watch out for when trading. ### Market titles can be misleading Market titles may **oversimplify** or fail to reflect the **nuance of the resolution criteria**. *Examples:* In *Will Trump jail Elon Musk?*, the title suggested Trump sending Elon Musk to jail, but the rules required Elon Musk actually serving jail time, regardless of who sent him there. In *What will Powell say during July Press Conference?*, one of the outcomes was "Step/Stepping Down." Some thought Powell saying the word "step" would qualify, but Polymarket clarified that only "step down" or "stepping down" counted. ### Rules can be unclear Sometimes, rules are **poorly worded**, **vague**, **or ambiguous**. They may fail to define **key terms or qualifying events**, which opens the door to disputes. *Examples*: In *Will Zelenskyy wear a suit before July?*, the rules never defined "suit." Some traders counted any formal attire, while others argued only a traditional Western-style suit qualified. The lack of clarity led to traders arguing over what counts. In *Biden senile during the debate?*, the rules never defined "senile." Some traders pointed to Biden appearing confused, while others argued that was opinion-based. The market ultimately resolved to 50/50. ### Similar markets have different resolution criteria Markets with nearly identical titles can still have very different **resolution criteria** and **resolution sources**. *Example*: In *Ukraine agrees to Trump mineral deal before April?*, the market resolves to Yes if the countries agree to a deal. Its resolution source is the US and Ukrainian governments. In *Trump x Ukraine mineral deal signed before June?*, the rules require a formally signed deal before the deadline. Its resolution sources include the US and Ukrainian governments and a consensus of credible reporting. ### Resolution sources can be unreliable The listed resolution source is **inaccurate**, **inconsistently maintained**, or **fundamentally flawed**. *Examples*: In *Will DOGE cut $3B of DEI contracts before March?*, the designated source (doge-tracker.com) changed its data after the market went live. This made it impossible to determine a clear outcome, and the market resolved to 50/50 with refunds issued. In *Lord Miles completes 40-day water fast in the desert?*, Lord Miles initially livestreamed his fast, but later turned off the stream. This made the designated source unreliable and raised doubts about how the market could resolve. ### Market titles are later edited Market titles may be later **edited** to better reflect the rules, but resolution is always based on the rules. *Example*: In *Yoon in jail before September?*, the resolution criteria required Yoon's arrest or detention by law enforcement. The title was later updated to *Yoon arrested before September?* to better reflect the rules, but the criteria did not change. ### Market thumbnails are illustrative Market thumbnails are **illustrative** only and have no impact on how the market should resolve. *Example*: Most markets use a stock photo of a country flag or public figure. In *Will Zelenskyy wear a suit before July?*, the image showed him in formal attire, but the rules, not the image, defined the resolution criteria. ### Polymarket social media does not decide resolution Polymarket's **social media activity** is **not a basis for resolution**. The **social media team** operates separately from the **Markets team**. *Example*: After the Epstein files were released, Polymarket's official X account posted, "[It contains NONE of the names of Epstein's associates](https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1895261380581958086)." The Markets team later clarified in the market *Who will be named in Epstein files by June 30?* that names of associates were in fact included. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://polymarketguide.gitbook.io/polymarketguide/trading/rules/rule-pitfalls.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.