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How about some tips on altering your game through each step? The sharks will surely take advantage of the ultra tight playing style of players who have gone through 4 steps to get to the $1,000 stage. Should you be brave and loosen up on step 5?

Good question, Paul. For the single table STEPS tourneys, I think normal Party SNG theory applies....that is you may want to play some marginal stuff in the first couple orbits, as some of the players on there will make some pretty poor plays. Having said that, I think you have to play it pretty close to the vest early, but you HAVE to mix it up late, big time. In every one of these I have been in so far, the avg stack was only about 4-5 times the BB when you're at the money bubble. For this reason, I prefer the two table STEPS tournies, as they let you see more hands. The extra time means you can be a little more creative without having to be desperate. Another consideration if you are debating between one and two table STEPS tournies is that both pay four spots. So, 40% of the table gets paid in the single table versions, whereas only 20% makes the money in the two table variety.