I guess I was trying to ask if it's worth solo mining bitcoin in a roundabout way. I know that with low hash power and at the current difficulty it isn't. And since you get new work all the time because of the total hash speed, you would never find a block unless you got really lucky. Is that about right?
Seems like solo mining isn't worth it for anything but new coins with low difficulty unless you have crazy hash power.
This is all correct. Unless you're hiding a Titan supercomputer in your basement, solo mining BTC is pointless.
The thing to remember is that solo mining will not get you more coins than pool mining, assuming the pool does not charge a fee (most do). Unless you're mining the "altcoin of the day" then there is no reason not to mine on a pool, especially if you only have a mainstream or gaming rig.