The French variation of roulette is favoured by many fans of the popular game of chance and there is a good reason why – out of the three widespread variants, French roulette has the lowest built-in house advantage, which certainly renders it a more lucrative option than its European and American cousins.
Yet many players are attracted to the game because of its very ‘Frenchness’. After all, France is the country where this classic casino game first emerged. In fact, the name ‘roulette’ itself, when translated from French, means ‘little wheel’.
French roulette follows roughly the same rules as European and American roulette, but two additional rules apply – La Partage and En Prison. In addition, French roulette allows for the so-called French, or call, bets to be placed. While French roulette is also a single-zero game, like its European counterpart, it features a different table layout. Read on to learn more about the game’s peculiarities, its house edge, and the types of bets you can place.
French Roulette Table Layout
The French variation of the game is played on a standard European wheel which has a total of 37 pockets. One of the pockets is coloured green and contains the zero. The remaining pockets are coloured red and black and contain the numbers 1 through 36. The numbers on the wheel are not displayed in consecutive order. In fact, the pattern they follow is seemingly random and differs from that on the American roulette wheel.
However, it does not take long for one to notice that the red and black numbers on the wheel alternate. Additionally, each pair of even numbers is followed by a pair of odd numbers. The few numbers located in close proximity to the green zero pocket are the only exceptions to this rule.
No matter which roulette variant is more to your liking, you should remember that roulette wheels are designed in such a way as to ensure that high, low, odd, even, red and black numbers are evenly distributed.
The table layout is where the real difference lies. First of all, the wheel is positioned at the centre of the table with betting grids on both sides. Yet this might not always be the case with all French-style roulette games found on the Internet, as most software providers tend to be exceptionally imaginative when it comes to the layouts they design.
In land-based venues, the tablecloth on French roulette tables is usually red, but this is not always the case when one plays online. In fact, with some French-style roulette games, players might be given the opportunity to alter the colour of the felt. Another thing that makes French-style roulette games easily recognisable is that, in most instances, players will notice that the numbers are coloured red.
The French table layout is easy to distinguish because the labels in the betting boxes and all other wordings are written strictly in French. That being said, sometimes roulette lovers can stumble upon French roulette tables where the English translations of the bet types are provided as well, but this is a rarity.
Thus, Odd/Even bets are written as Impair/Pair, Low/High bets are worded Manque/Passe, and, occasionally, the Red/Black betting boxes may contain the labels Rouge and Noir. The three boxes where Dozen bets are placed are represented as P12 (premiere douzaine or the first dozen), M12 (moyenne douzaine or the middle dozen) and D12 (derniere douzaine or the last dozen).
Call bets are placed in a specific section of the layout, known as the racetrack. Usually, this section is separated from the main betting grid, and, upon closer inspection, players will notice that it is an exact replica of the roulette wheel.
Additional Rules in French Roulette
As mentioned earlier, there are two major differences between French roulette and its American and European counterparts. In French roulette, the La Partage and En Prison rules are applied, which might not always be the case with the other two roulette variants. In essence, these are also popular among lovers of the table game as ‘zero rules’, because they are applied when the white ball lands in the zero or double-zero pockets. Most of the time, while betting on roulette in a casino in the USA, players’ outside bets are resolved as losing ones when the ball lands in any of the zero pockets.
Yet this might not be the case with casinos across Europe, where players will need to leave their chips on the table until their wager is eventually settled as a win or a loss. It is worth noting that this will only happen on non-zero spins of the roulette wheel.
In American roulette, players might be permitted to surrender. What is important to note is that this rule should not be mistaken for the surrender rule available in blackjack. In roulette, it applies only to the even-money outside bets – high/low, even/odd, and red/black. Much like the La Partage and En Prison rules, the surrender rule also reduces the house edge to 2.63%. Yet gambling aficionados should know that the single-zero roulette games that offer the surrender rule are few and far between.
If this rule is available, however, instead of losing the entire amount they have staked when the white ball lands in the zero pocket, players will forfeit only half of the stake, with the remainder returned to them.
The La Partage Rule
La Partage is literally translated as ‘sharing’ or ‘dividing’. The La Partage rule states that if the ball lands in the zero pocket, all even-money wagers (Red/Black, High/Low, and Odd/Even bets) are automatically split in half. Half of the original bet will be returned to the player while the remaining half will be forfeited by the house. Keep in mind that this rule is applicable only when you make even-money bets. If you place a Straight Up bet and zero comes up, you will lose your entire wager.
The En Prison Rule
En Prison, on the other hand, literally means ‘in prison’ in French. This rule is applied predominantly in land-based casinos in Monaco and can only rarely be found in online French roulette variations.
Provided that the En Prison rule applies at the table, the croupier places a marker on top of all even-money bets whenever the zero is spun. This way, the even-money wagers are ‘imprisoned’ for the next spin of the wheel. If the player’s even-money bet wins on the next spin, they will have their original wager returned without actually winning anything. Most would agree that this is still better than losing the entire wager.
House Advantage in French Roulette
Many roulette fans prefer to play the French variation of the game since it has the lowest possible house advantage. This can be easily explained by the fact that there is only one zero pocket on the French roulette wheel.
| French Roulette House Edge and Payout * | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bet Type | Bet Payout | Bet Probability | House Edge |
| Straight | 35/1 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| Split | 17/1 | 5.41% | 2.70% |
| Street | 11/1 | 8.11% | 2.70% |
| Trio (0,1,2 / 0,2,3) | 11/1 | 8.11% | 2.70% |
| Four-Number (0,1,2,3) | 8/1 | 10.81% | 2.70% |
| Square or Corner | 8/1 | 10.81% | 2.70% |
| Six Line | 5/1 | 16.2% | 2.70% |
| Column | 2/1 | 32.4% | 2.70% |
| Dozen (P12, M12, D12) | 2/1 | 32.4% | 2.70% |
| Red / Black | 1/1 | 48.64% | 2.70% |
| Impair (Odd) / Pair (Even) | 1/1 | 48.64% | 2.70% |
| Manque (Low) / Passe (High) | 1/1 | 48.64% | 2.70% |
* Whenever the La Partage and En Prison rules apply, the house edge is further reduced to 1.35%. In comparison, the built-in house advantage in American roulette is a staggering 5.26%, while that of European roulette stands at 2.70%.
Types of Bets in French Roulette
Many players favour French roulette because it provides numerous betting options. Generally speaking, the types of bets in French roulette can be divided into three main categories – inside, outside and call (also known as racetrack) bets.
Double Action Roulette
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Roulette Betting Progressions
Outside Bets
Outside bets are typically recommended for roulette novices who are averse to risk. Your chances of winning with an outside bet are substantial but the payout will be humble. Red/Black bets are among the most popular options since, with them, players are betting that the ball will land either on black or on red. This type of bet has a payout of 1 to 1.
Inexperienced players can test their luck by placing an Odd/Even outside bet. In this case, the player is betting that the ball will land on an even or an odd number. The payout is again 1 to 1.
The High/Low outside bet is another suitable option for beginners. Here, the player is betting on a low number (1 through 18) or on a high number (19 through 36). High/Low bets also pay out even money at a rate of 1 to 1.
Then again, we have the Column bet which covers a total of twelve numbers in one of the three columns on the main betting grid. An example would be a bet on the middle column containing numbers 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 36, 29, 32 and 35. The payout for winning Column bets is 2 to 1.
With Dozen bets, players are betting that the next number to be spun will be in their chosen dozen on the layout. Numbers 1 through 12 fall within the first dozen, numbers 13 through 24 fall within the second dozen, while the third dozen covers numbers 25 through 36. Winning Dozen bets also pay out 2 to 1.
Inside Bets
Bold players with more substantial experience often favour inside bets since they offer better payouts. Yet, the chances of winning with one such bet are lower. Bets on individual numbers are called Straight Up bets and have a payout of 35 to 1.
Then again, it is possible to make an inside bet on a combination of numbers. An example would be the Split bet, placed on two adjacent numbers on the betting grid, for instance, numbers 5 and 6. It pays out at the rate of 17 to 1.
With Street bets, the player is betting on a row consisting of three consecutive numbers. An example would be a bet on numbers 4, 5 and 6. It pays out 11 to 1.
Another option is to place a Corner bet (also called a Square bet) which covers four numbers sharing a common corner, like numbers 5, 6, 8 and 9. Winning Corner bets have a payout of 8 to 1.
The Six-Line bet covers consecutive numbers in two rows on the betting layout. An example of one such bet would be a wager on numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Winning Six-Line bets pay out at a rate of 5 to 1.
Trio bets, on the other hand, cover three numbers but one of them is always zero. There are two possible combinations for a Trio bet, namely 0, 1, 2 and 0, 2, 3. Winning Trio bets pay out at the rate of 11 to 1.
Finally, we have the so-called Four-Number bet, which is exclusive to French and European roulette and is not to be confused with the Corner bet, which also features four numbers. The Four-Number bet covers the first four numbers on the betting grid, namely 0, 1, 2 and 3, and pays out 8 to 1.
Call Bets
Call bets are placed in the racetrack section of the layout, and when opting for them, players are basically betting that the ball will land in that specific section of the wheel.
Voisins du Zéro, or Neighbours of Zero, covers all 17 numbers on the wheel which are located between 22 and 25. The player bets nine chips on a combination of split, corner and trio bets. Players should remember that if the winning number is part of the section of the roulette wheel they have chosen, the pay-off they will collect will be dictated by the specific number and can reach up to 24:1.
Tiers du Cylindre, which translates as ‘a third of the wheel’, is yet another type of call bet players can place. This bet covers all numbers located between 27 and 33 on the wheel. Here, the player bets six chips because six split bets are needed to cover all numbers. If their wager is resolved as a winning one, the rate at which players will be paid out is 17:1.
Orphelins, which translates as ‘orphans’, covers eight numbers. Three of them (17, 34 and 6) are positioned on the right of the zero pocket, while the remaining five (1, 20, 14, 31 and 9) are located on its left side. Players need five chips to make this bet. This time, the payout gambling enthusiasts can potentially get is either 35:1 or 17:1, and, once again, the rate at which they will be paid is based on the winning number.
The Final bet (Finales in French) is made on numbers ending in the same digit. For instance, if the player wagers on Final Five, his or her bet will cover numbers 5, 15, 25 and 35. Final bets ending in numbers 0 through 6 require four chips. For numbers ending in 7, 8 and 9, the player will need only three chips since only three numbers on the wheel end in these digits.
French-style roulette variants also allow gambling enthusiasts to opt for Full Complete bets. Yet most gambling enthusiasts might not be keen on placing such a wager simply because they will need to risk a considerable amount, which often hits the upper table limit. For that reason, this wager type is most commonly offered by casinos that are oriented mainly towards high-stakes players.
When placing a Full Complete bet, gambling enthusiasts are effectively placing all types of inside bets on just one number. What high-rollers need to remember is that, when opting for this wager type, none of their chips will be placed on the betting layout.
Such wagers can turn out to be moneymakers for players who are risk-takers.
Difference between Call and Announced Bets
Although many roulette lovers regard call and announced bets as interchangeable terms, there is a distinct difference.
When it comes to call bets, gambling enthusiasts will not be prompted to lay any of their chips on the table; instead, they will be required to say what wager they wish to make so that the dealer can indicate it on the betting layout. In this way, gambling aficionados borrow money from the casino whenever they wish to lay a call bet.
It should be noted, however, that going for true call bets may not be possible in all brick-and-mortar casinos. Interestingly enough, the UK is one of the countries where gambling enthusiasts are not permitted to bet on credit, which therefore means that call bets will not be available at all.
In reality, roulette lovers will place the so-called announced bets. To place such a wager, gambling aficionados will once again need to announce what bet they wish to make, but the most obvious difference is that this time, the cost of the wager needs to be covered right away.
Yet, the main idea behind call and announced bets is the same: instead of placing their chips on the specific areas of the betting layout, players simply announce the bet they wish to make.
How to Play French Roulette Online
To get started with betting on French roulette over the Internet, gambling enthusiasts need almost no preparation, which less experienced players might be delighted to hear. Naturally, they need to have a good understanding of the different bet types and the payouts they provide so as to make sure that they will get the most out of their betting session.
Fundamentally, the objective of the game remains to accurately predict the slot on which the white ball will ultimately come to rest. In spite of the fact that the French-style roulette games available out there come in all shapes and sizes, the mechanism of placing a bet is roughly the same.
Once the game is launched, the next thing casino enthusiasts need to do is to make up their minds about the amount they would like to wager. Please make sure that, prior to placing your wager, you have become familiar with the betting limits and have explored the available chip denominations.
If you have already settled on one of the chip denominations, you should decide whether you wish to play it safe and opt for one of the outside bets or go for one of the inside bets. Of course, call bets are also an option that should not be overlooked. To wrap up your bet, you simply need to click on the chosen chip denomination and then on the field from the betting layout that corresponds to the chosen wager type.
When the roulette wheel is spun, gambling aficionados will be able to find out the outcome of the round within just a few seconds. With most roulette variants available out there, players might be permitted to remove all the chips that are placed on the betting layout with a single click. Most of the time, doubling the staked amount is just within arm’s reach.
Gambling enthusiasts who have switched to betting on roulette over the Internet need to know that, occasionally, when their wagers are winning ones, the chips will not be taken down from the betting layout, and it will be up to them to decide whether they wish to remove or leave them for the next round.
With some French-style roulette games, players are enabled to adjust the settings so that the chips can be taken down from the table after the outcome of the round is determined.
Popular French Roulette Games
There is no denying that French roulette games have started to gain even more momentum among casino enthusiasts, and the ever-increasing popularity of these games can be easily attributed to the considerably lower house edge. What further adds to the excitement of these roulette variants is that avid casino fans have an even broader range of options to pick and choose from, thanks to the availability of call bets.
While playing online, fans of the table game will have a wide array of such roulette variants to pick and choose from, each of which offers unique features and intriguing betting options.
Premium French Roulette By Playtech
The creators of casino content at Playtech are well aware that French-style roulette games are among the most popular ones, which is why they have come up with several such games.
Premium French Roulette is analogous to the French-style roulette tables found in most land-based casinos. The roulette wheel and the betting layout are recreated with great precision and thoroughness. The signature of the software provider becomes evident almost right away, as the graphics are exceptionally easy on the eye.
Gambling enthusiasts are likely to have a good time playing this roulette variant also because of the bet announcements, which make for an even more authentic casino experience. For greater convenience, in the lower right corner of their screen, players will spot two buttons: one dedicated to neighbour bets and one reserved for announced bets.
Likely, roulette fans will be pleased with the betting limits of the game, as they range between £0.50 and £300.
What might also appeal to players is that this roulette variation offers a truly customer-focused experience because, if they prefer, they can switch the direction in which the ball is spun, the angle at which they view the table, or the felt colour.
French Roulette By Play’n GO
Play’n GO is another creator of premium casino games and has brought to players several roulette games, including French Roulette. With this variant of the classic table game, players will enjoy a clutter-free screen and exceptionally sharp graphics.
Players also have nothing to complain about when the betting limits are concerned because, for inside and outside bets, the least amount they can stake is £1, while the ceiling is £100. The upper limit on players’ total bets stands at £1,000.
What makes this roulette version so interesting for players is that it includes call bets, which can be placed simply by clicking on one of the areas of the racetrack positioned just above the numbers grid.
Additionally, roulette lovers are given the opportunity to re-bet and clear the wagers they have made with a single click on the command bar.
French Roulette By Microgaming
Unsurprisingly, Microgaming is among the providers that do not neglect the preferences of lovers of French-style roulette. This roulette variant is unlikely to go unnoticed by players because of its refreshing graphics and exceptionally user-friendly interface.
The main reason why this roulette game has developed into a crowd-pleaser is that it allows for making call bets, while the casino advantage is further shrunk thanks to the La Partage rule. Opting for call or neighbour bets is also possible with a single click.
To make sure that the game they have designed will boost excitement, the creators of gaming content from Microgaming have provided players with a history of the bets placed so that they can make informed decisions. In addition to this, gambling enthusiasts can activate autoplay, enjoy the game in an expert mode, and edit the betting layout.