Quote Originally Posted by Renton
Do you guys seriously go through all this trouble?

It just seems like a pain in the ass to have to observe a table for half an hour, then pray that there is a seat left over by the time you're finished mulling over your decision, only to find out that the last seat just got taken and you have to move your search to another table.

I just check the general table stats (pot size, etc) then start playing. If I notice I am in a bad spot after 30-40 hands, then I get up. Is anyone else like me?

BTW I am somewhat of a beginner still so i am probably full of crap and can't be trusted. I would just like to understand how people can even be picky at a table that is constantly gaining and losing players of all different qualities. By the time you get two hours into a good session, I don't think your original choice would be relevant.
I don't spend 30 mins on table selection, but you have to at least look around a little bit. Like Ping said, I don't like to sit at a table where I've got a player I know to be good on my left. This is where your players notes that you should be taking now come to pay off later on. I like sitting down in a seat w/ a donk on my left and a big stack on my right. I also look for (relative to the buyin) large avg. pot sizes. I like taking on big stacks, not coinflipping all day against small stack pushes. I won't sit at a table if more than 2 players have less than half the max buyin. Ideally all other 5 seats would have max buyins, with a couple of large stacks that I can sit down in position against right away.