PCR optimization

Anyone here do a lot of PCRs (Polymerase Chain Reactions)?  I was wondering what steps you take to optimize your PCR, what kind of gradients you do, and how many PCRs it generally takes you to get to your final optimized conditions.

If it matters, you're PCRing up a plasmid, and you're also PCRing an insert out of a bacterial genome.

that's all gibberish

wut are u sayin