I like normal tournys to pay out to the final 3 tables. On
Full Tilt this usually equates to 250-375 players. It gets down to these final three tables pretty quickly and then you can start to chase some draws. These have worked best for me.
I do enjoy playing large tournys, with over 1000 players, but success has yet to reach me. The buyin gets pricier, but there are enough satellites and other means of getting into the tourny that a good number of weak players find themselves in a $200 tourny for $4.40. (130 people do a 4.40 satellite and the top 4/5 will get into the tourny) It's just a lottery once there are that many people in it. You have to chase some stuff, get REALLY lucky with an ace high against pocket pairs, etc.