Quick Start Guide
Get from zero to your first mining deployment in under five minutes. This guide walks you through account creation, funding, and deploying your first round.
Setup
Create Your Account
Click Sign In on the landing page. Smelted uses Privy for authentication — you can sign in with your email, Google account, or an existing Solana wallet. A custodial embedded wallet is automatically created for you during signup, so there is no need to install a browser extension.
Fund Your Wallet
Open the wallet panel from the sidebar and click Deposit. Copy your embedded wallet address and send SOL to it from any Solana wallet or exchange. You will need SOL both for mining deployments and for transaction fees.
Choose a Protocol
Navigate to the Mine page. Use the protocol selector at the top to choose which protocol to mine: ORE or GODL. Each protocol has its own reward token and round mechanics.
Deploy Your First Round
You have two options for deploying:
- Manual: Select tiles on the 5x5 grid, set your SOL amount, and click Deploy. Use the EV indicators on each tile to make an informed selection.
- AutoMiner: Switch to the AutoMiner tab in the deploy panel, pick a strategy (Kelly Criterion is a good default), set a budget, and click Start. The AutoMiner will deploy for you every round.
Track Your Results
After a round ends, check the grid to see the winning tile. If your tile won, rewards appear in your miner account. Visit the Analytics page for detailed performance tracking including daily activity, cumulative rewards, and percentile rankings.
Strategy Overview
When using the AutoMiner, you choose one of four strategies to determine which tile to deploy on each round:
- Kelly Criterion — Mathematically optimal bet sizing based on bankroll and edge. Good for long-term growth.
- Best EV — Picks the tile with the highest expected value based on current deployment distribution.
- Low Pool — Targets tiles with the least SOL deployed, reducing competition for the reward pool.
- Random — Uniform random tile selection for unpredictable, even deployment.
See the Strategies deep dive for a full comparison and guidance on when to use each one.
Next Steps
- AutoMiner — Learn how automated mining works and how to configure it.
- Mining Grid — Understand the 5x5 grid, EV indicators, and round lifecycle.
- Analytics — Explore protocol and personal analytics dashboards.
- Protocols — Compare ORE, GODL, and ZORB side by side.