from all the tournies i've played, it doesn't really matter how the chips are handed out. It depends on how long you want to play. I prefer to keep them at 1000 to make for shorter, but more overall tournies. When my buddies get together, we do about 4 tournies and cash games for the losers while they wait. Most of the people who play have kids and wifes to go home to, so they don't want to be there all night. Since we play around 4 tournies, 1 bad beat doesn't make you have a bad night. With 4, you also get quite toasted before you head home
