Paddy Power are running an interesting free

Last Man Standing competition. The prize for each competition is

€

1000.





I have done some brief analysis on the previous competitions which are archived on the site, and here are the

competitions ran for an average of about 14 weeks. So in that case you would never have to pick the 6 worst teams. However some competitions have gone on for 16 weeks. So to be on the safe side you should plan 16 winning picks. Therefore, you will never have to pick any of the worst 4 teams. (Going by bookie's odds rather than current position in table, the current position can be influenced by tough run of games or one lucky/unlucky result).





odds to finish bottom





Unfortunately you will have to pick all the other teams once, even Leicester and Newcastle.





I am basing my strategy on three simple rules.





Rule 1. Always pick a home win (home team wins about 50%, draw about 25%, away only 25%)





Rule 2. Only pick the teams that are playing the bottom 4. (Note: This wont always be possible if all bottom 4 teams are playing at home, or playing each other or all playing a team that you have already picked).





Rule 3. Never pick the worst 4 teams (already discussed).





So with this in mind scan forward the next 16 matches for the worst 4 teams (this time I had to look at the worst 6 because of the notes mentioned in Rule 2).

Sample Picks

In the Paddy Power version of the Last Man Standing you are allowed play a wild card just one week which means that a draw is as good as a win for that week. Save this for your worst team. Obviously these 16 picks won't guarantee you win, but I think it gives you the best chance. Even if you were allowed to pick Chelsea or Man City every week the chances of going 16 wins in a row would be slim to none!





Lastly, as its free, don't wait till you get knocked out until you play again. There is a new competition starting every week.





Have fun. Follow me on twitter @davidheaney1978.







