You need to build the game in something like intel XDK and install the resulting APK in order to see the test admob. In order to see the real admob you need to publish on GooglePlay first.
If you preview over wifi, or trough web html5, they just don't show.
Thanks for your reply. Actually, you don't have to publish to Google Play to see the AdMob ads. What you need to do is install the APK (after building in XDK) onto a device with an internet connection and then the ads should be served. There is no need to publish to GP first.
And therein lies my dilemma, I download to my device, install, and interstitial ads work fine but banners do not.