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Live roulette table formats, from standard to instant
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A live lobby can show twenty roulette tables from one studio, and at first glance they look the same. They are not. Pace, camera work, stakes and in two cases the payouts differ between formats. Here is each one, what it changes, and who it suits.
Standard live roulette
One dealer, one wheel, one fixed camera angle with a cut to the wheel for the spin. Betting time around 15 to 20 seconds, full cycle 35 to 45. Payouts are the textbook 35:1 and 2.70% edge on a single-zero wheel. This is the baseline, and at most sites there are several of them in different languages and at different stake bands. If you are new to live play, start here.
Immersive
The same game with cinema-style camera work: multiple angles, close-ups of the ball, slow-motion replay of the drop. Payouts and odds are unchanged. It is slower, usually a minute or so per spin, and more absorbing to watch. Minimums tend to sit a little higher than the plain tables.
Speed
Standard payouts with the dead time cut out. Betting opens during the previous spin's wind-down, the dealer launches as soon as the window closes, and the full cycle is around 25 seconds. Roughly 140 spins an hour against 90 on a standard table, so at the same stake it costs about 50% more per hour in expected loss. Good if you find standard tables slow; expensive if you forget the pace.
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Auto
No dealer. A compressed-air launcher fires the ball, a camera reads the pocket, and the table never stops. Because there is no staff cost, auto tables usually carry the lowest live minimums, often 10p a bet, and some run a La Partage version where even-money bets lose only half on a zero, cutting the edge on those bets to 1.35%. Quiet, fast and cheap. No chat, no personality.
Instant and multi-wheel
Several wheels on one screen, each at a different point in its cycle. You place bets with no timer, press play, and the bet goes to whichever wheel drops next. Result within seconds. Standard payouts. It is roulette at the pace of a slot, which is either the appeal or the warning depending on your habits.
Multiplier tables
A standard spin plus a random round after betting closes, where one to five straight-up numbers receive multipliers from 50x up to 500x. A straight-up on a struck number pays the multiplier. Everything else pays normally, except that the base straight-up payout is reduced, to 29:1 on the best-known versions, to fund the multipliers. Outside bets keep their 2.70% edge; straight-ups cost more on average. Visually the most spectacular tables in the lobby, and the ones most people mean when they say live roulette now.
Double ball
Two balls, one wheel, one spin. Inside bets pay if either ball lands on them, at reduced odds; a special bet pays if both balls land on the same number. A novelty format, worth a go once to see how the payouts are rearranged, and worth reading the paytable before any serious stake.
Salon and VIP tables
Private or semi-private tables with higher minimums, from £25 or £50 upwards, often with the option to control when the dealer spins. The payouts are standard. The product is exclusivity and a quieter table, not better odds.
Picking a format
For learning: standard or auto. For atmosphere: immersive. For value on numbers: anything without multipliers. For value on even-money bets: an auto La Partage table if the site has one. For speed: instant, with a firm stop point set before you start.
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Short answers
What is an auto roulette table?
A live wheel with no dealer. A mechanical launcher spins the ball, a camera reads the result, and the table runs around the clock at lower stakes because there is nobody to pay.
Which live table is fastest?
Instant-style tables, where you press a button and your bet goes to whichever of several wheels drops next. Speed tables are next, at roughly 25 seconds a spin.