Annually America’s biggest betting tournament takes place in March and finishes in early April, as the best college basketball players from around the country compete in a 68 team tournament. From President Obama to Joe Smith on the street, the March Madness betting enthusiast can be anyone. As well just because you’re the president of the United States does not mean your teams will have better luck then Joe Smith’s teams.

However, when creating your next bracket for the next March Madness pool with your friends, these three tips will help you go from last year’s runner up to this year’s champion.

A) Get in As Many Brackets As You Can - Ever wonder why Joe always wins his office pool, while you can’t catch a break? Well it’s because Joe bets everywhere on the board in each of the brackets picking the winners from each and moving on. Meanwhile, you were picking all the big names in each conference and even then those teams got knocked off. The smartest tip we can give you is to bet in as many brackets as you can and it will increase your odds at winning the overall grand prize.

B) The First Round Is The Most Important - With the 2011 tournament switching to a 68 team 34 game opening round, it is extremely important to pick as many possible winners as you can. If you can win at least 17 games in the first round, you will be in good shape for the rest of the tournament.

C) Take the Favorites - They got ranked highly for a reason, and although you may think Albuquerque Tech can upset Duke, you are better off taking Duke. As well, picking the favorites in the early rounds can pay dividends in the latter rounds as these are the teams that will have performed well for you all tournament long, and can guide you to winning the pool.