How money flows
Backd routes money. It never holds it. Every dollar goes from a wallet you control to an order on Polymarket, and back to the same wallet when the market settles.
The flow
- Deposit.
Money from any chain Polymarket's transfer service accepts lands in your Polymarket wallet on Polygon as USDC. It's the same wallet and the same balance you'd see on polymarket.com.
- Back a call.
An order for the side you picked, at the live price, for your stake, goes to Polymarket's order book. It fills against real buyers and sellers at the same price you'd get on Polymarket.
- Hold, or cash out early.
Your shares sit in your wallet. If the price moves your way you can cash out any time the market is open.
- Settle and claim.
Polymarket resolves the market. Winning shares pay $1 each. You claim them with one signature on the Wallet page. Once one-tap orders are on, Backd claims them for you. Losing shares expire at zero.
- Withdraw.
Pick a chain and a coin, type the amount and the address, sign. Usually 15 to 60 seconds. See withdraw.
What happens when you back a call
You pick Yes at 58% and stake $10. Backd asks Polymarket's order book for 17.24 Yes shares at up to 58¢. Sellers fill it. Polymarket takes Backd's 1% fee (10¢) from the stake. You now hold 17.24 shares that pay $1 each if Yes happens. The call is recorded at 58% on Backd, written by the server, and nobody can change it.
Who holds what
| Thing | Where it lives | Who can move it |
|---|---|---|
| Your USDC | Your Polymarket wallet (Polygon) | You, with your own wallet's signature. Backd can't withdraw it. |
| Your shares (positions) | Your Polymarket wallet | You. Orders are signed by your wallet, or by a trading-only key that can back, cash out and claim and nothing else. |
| The order book | Polymarket's exchange contracts | Polymarket's matching engine |
| Your record | Backd's database | Backd's server, write-once. Not you, not us, after the fact. |
The Polymarket part
Backd is a Polymarket builder. It uses Polymarket's official API with full attribution. Orders placed through Backd execute at the same prices as on Polymarket and count as Polymarket activity. Polymarket collects Backd's fee and pays it to Backd. There is no separate Backd fee contract and no Backd pool your money passes through.