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Tom Cotter

• Right before I competed at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, I approached the judges table and handed out cigars to the three judges. It seemed to help my cause. 
• Don't do what everyone else is doing.  Try to make your material and delivery stand out from the rest.
• At the Seattle Comedy Competition, which lasted over three weeks and several shows, some comics did the exact same set every show. The problem was that we were in front of very different audiences from one show to the next. For example, one night we would be in a basement comedy club in front of a bunch of tie dye and sandal wearing, urban hippies, and the next we'd be at a military base performing in front of a staunchly conservative crowd. The left leaning jokes didn't sit well with the military folks, and the conservative jokes bombed with the lefties. Know your audience, and make adjustments accordingly.
• When all else fails, four words: naked photos of judges. 

Jami Gong

• Bribe the judges.
• Bribe the other contestants to let you get lucky number eight in the line-up.
• Original stage presence and audience reaction are key: tell all your friends to come and laugh at you, and no one else.
• Before the show, give all contestants a drink as a gesture of good luck, but secretly drug the drinks.
• Purposely volunteer to go first, and after your set, break the mic.

Vivek Mahbubani

• Say something unique about yourself, so that it becomes your own style/signature: If you're an Indian (like me), tell people the weird things that happen to you as an Indian so they're seeing a fresh perspective on life.
• Know your audience: the last thing people want to do is feel uncomfortable or ignorant at a comedy club. If you know most of your audience will be white, then make sure you use white-relatable jokes. It's no fun when you talk about Indian weddings to a person who's never been to one.
• Tell, don't inform: think of the audience as your friends rather than listeners, and tell your story like you wanted to share this funny information, rather than inform them about this funny story.
• Let them laugh: people come to comedy clubs to laugh, so if they're laughing, let them, don't interrupt them because you want to finish what you're saying; they're getting what they paid for by you shutting up.
• Know when to stop: it’s fun interacting, but you also run the risk of alienating all the other people you're not talking to, and after a while, they may feel left out. Also, if you keep picking on one person, he/she may feel singled out and offended after a few pokes, and what was once fun turns into fury.