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Choosing your first online roulette table
A casino lobby can show forty roulette tables and they are not all the same game. The choice for a first session comes down to three questions: software or dealer, one zero or two, and what the table actually costs per spin. Here is how to answer each in about a minute.
Software or dealer
RNG tables. You press spin, a result is generated, an animation plays. No timer, so you can take as long as you like between spins. Minimums from 10p. Demo mode usually available without an account. The right place to learn.
Live tables. A real wheel and dealer on video, a betting timer of 15 to 20 seconds, minimums from around 50p, chat with the dealer. More fun once you know the layout; harder to learn on because the clock is running.
Start RNG. Move to live when placing a split or a corner is automatic.
One zero or two
Look at the top of the layout. One green box is a European or French table, 2.70% house edge. Two green boxes, 0 and 00, is American, 5.26%. The payouts are identical, so the American table is simply more expensive for the same game. There is always a European table in the lobby; sit at that one.
What the table costs per spin
Open the table and find the limits panel. Three numbers matter:
- Minimum chip. The smallest unit you can place: 10p, 20p, £1.
- Minimum per spin. The total that must be on the layout before it spins. Some "20p tables" need £1 in total, five chips.
- Maximum per bet. How high you could go, which matters later.
A table advertised at 20p with a £1 spin minimum is a £1 table. Know which you have.
Names to avoid at first
Lightning, Mega, Quantum, Fire Blaze, PowerUP: multiplier tables with a reduced straight-up payout. Fine later, confusing first.
Jackpot, Age of the Gods, Dragon: side bets or extra pockets that cost more per spin.
Double Ball, Pinball, 100/1, Mini: variants with different payout tables. Interesting, but not standard roulette.
American: two zeros, as above.
French is the one exception to "avoid the named ones": a French table is a European wheel with a half-back rule on even-money bets that makes it cheaper, and the layout is only slightly different.
A reasonable first table
A European or French RNG table from a major provider, 10p or 20p chips, a spin minimum you have checked, demo mode tried first. Play it until the layout is boring. Then look around.
Your questions
- What does RNG mean in online roulette?
Random number generator. An RNG table is software: you press spin, the result is generated and an animated wheel shows it. A live table streams a real wheel and dealer from a studio.
- Is live roulette better for beginners?
It is more atmospheric and slower, which some people prefer. It also has higher minimums and a timer. An RNG table at low stakes with no timer is the easier place to learn the layout.