# GET START

This section is for traders who want to try PaperMarket for the first time and for reviewers who want a quick overview of how the app works in practice.

On Polymarket you connect a wallet and place real USDC bets.\
In PaperMarket you create a simple account with email and password and receive a virtual dollar balance.\
Prices, order books and charts come from live Polymarket markets. All trades and positions stay inside a separate simulation environment.

### Quick path to your first paper trade

You can go from zero to your first virtual position in a few minutes.

1. Create an account and sign in to PaperMarket
2. Copy a market link from Polymarket and paste it into the main page
3. Wait for the order book and chart to load from the Polymarket APIs
4. Choose side and size and submit a virtual order
5. Open your portfolio and see how the position and PnL move with the live market

Your virtual balance, open positions and trade history are stored in your PaperMarket account.\
You can reset the account at any time and start again with a fresh balance if you want to test a new approach.

### What is inside this section

The pages under Get Start give a structured introduction

* **About PaperMarket** explains the goal of the app and how it relates to Polymarket
* **Overview** walks through the main user flow from loading a market to closing a position
* **Key Concepts** defines balance, markets, tokens, orders, positions and PnL as they work in this app
* **How It Works** describes how we use public Polymarket APIs and how trades are simulated on the server
* **Getting Started** is a step by step guide for your first session in PaperMarket
* **Risks and Disclaimer** explains the limits of the simulation and what it does not guarantee

If you are new to PaperMarket start with **About PaperMarket** and then follow **Getting Started** while you have the app open in another tab.


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