1) Getting a table in the pub is a coin toss.
. . . sometimes people sit for a short while
. . . sometimes they sit for a very long time
2) We have seen different scenarios.
. . . we walked in just as another couple got up, and grabbed the table
. . . we stood and waited more than an hour before we gave up
3) As for your chances.
. . . sometimes people stand at the bar waiting for a table
. . . others meander while waiting for a table
. . . when a table opens, it is like a kids "musical chairs" game
. . . sometimes there are 2-3 people trying to grab the table
. . . there in no such thing as being-in-line for a table
. . . it is first-grabbed-first-served
. . . sometimes rude, but such is life in the bar biz
. . . no hostess or bartender tends to the the table priorities