How many stories have we done about people who swear they were logged on or phoning the split second the tickets went on sale, only to hear the show is sold out?

There are some things you can do to increase your odds of buying the ticket you want.

Dan Evan is a live music lover and a writer for Extreme Tech Magazine. Recently, he shared some extreme strategies for winning the ticket competition.

First, get your computer ready to race.

“First you need to have a broadband connection,” said Evans. “Dial ups really not going to work for you.”

Next, to be competitive you need an up to date web browser. Evans prefers one of the new open-sourced models.

“On Firefox you can get 10 different windows open or as many as your monitor can hold at once,” Evans said. Thus, multiplying the odds of connecting to a ticket.

Also, remember you are not always limited to using a third party ticket supplier.

“Buy them directly, a lot of venues have Web sites that sell the tickets,” Evans said. “Avoid the fees, and I think that’s an easy trick to do and people just forget to do it.”

Some online auction sites make tickets available for immediate sale, if you plan to buy.

“We recommend you wait, don't buy tickets on eBay the day the tickets go on sale,” said Evans. “The market is primed at that point, wait a couple of days, prices will drop and you'll get a better deal.”

And a word of caution about buying from any auction site.

“You're dealing with random people who may or may not be reputable,” said Evans.

Whenever possible use a credit card.

If the venue is close, it might be worth a trip to verify the tickets are genuine.

It could minimize later embarrassment and provide the time you need to get your money back from the seller or cancel the charge.

For those of us who buy by telephone, one strategy is to call a few minutes early and engage the seller in conversation. The second the sale starts, pounce!

Other people join friends. Everyone calls and the first one to get through buys the tickets and instant messages everyone else so you don't over buy.