Would you rather play with a full table or an empty one?
i'd take the fuller table for steady profit, more room to fold, use position and pick up info from showdowns. short-handed only wins out for me if i've got a clear postflop edge (that's the bit i'd need to be sure of), blinds come around quicker so you have to defend and attack wider. bigger pots don't cover mistakes either. i'm getting fewer hands with better reads at a full table, short-handed i'm playing more hands with thinner margins on decisions