A good crypto allocation isn't a single bet. It's a stack. A core that won't blow up, a satellite that captures upside, and cash to deploy when things move.

Three layers, in order

Start with your core: large-cap, broad, boring. BTC, ETH, the top L1s. This is the layer you don't trade. It's there to capture the secular trend of the asset class. In OLTA terms, indices like Core 10 or Blue Chip 8.

Add satellites for thematic exposure. AI tokens, oracle infrastructure, lending markets, sectors you have a view on. These move more, both up and down. In OLTA, AI Midcap, Oracle Infrastructure, DeFi Core.

Keep stablecoin reserves. Not as a position, as optionality. The point of a reserve is to deploy it when prices move against you, not when they're already moving with you.

Sizing the layers

Most institutional allocators use something like 60% core, 30% satellite, 10% reserve. Retail allocators tend to invert it. Too much satellite, not enough core, no reserve. The result is a portfolio that lives or dies on a few sector calls.

The right ratio depends on your conviction and your time horizon. The point isn't the exact split. The point is that you have a split at all.