Roulette is one of the most enthralling casino games around. It comes in many forms — European roulette, American roulette, and French roulette.
But how do you play French roulette? How can you make bets in French roulette? In this guide, we will uncover everything you need to know, including the game’s RTP and how it compares to its counterparts.
WHAT IS FRENCH ROULETTE?
Unsurprisingly, French roulette emanates from France, and you will also find that aside from online casinos, it is also played in land-based casinos in Monaco. But this French game is quite authentic in many respects. Before we get to grips with how to play French roulette, it is important to take a closer look at the French roulette table, and explain how the French roulette wheel works.
In terms of roulette games, the French roulette table bears similarities with that of European roulette. The numbers on the French roulette wheel are the same as those of the European roulette wheel, and they appear in the same order too. In total, you will find 37 numbers on the French roulette wheel, which runs from 1 to 36, and there will also be a single zero. on the roulette table, half of the numbers will be red and half will be black.
In the French roulette game, all numbers on the wheel point towards the outside edge of the wheel. Whereas, with American roulette, the betting layout sees the number point towards the centre. The table will be split into inside bets and outside bets, but this is something we will get onto later. You will also discover the various bet types, as well as what constitutes winning and losing bets.
FRENCH ROULETTE RULES
As touched upon earlier, the French roulette wheels are not that far removed from the types of bet you will place at the European roulette table. Anyway, when playing French roulette (French roulette is usually played on a European table), then all outside bets (Odd, Even, Red, Black, High, Low) won’t be lost completely, which isn’t the case if you are playing on an American roulette wheel.
It is also worth bearing in mind that with French roulette, there are two different types of rules. There is La partage rule and this is the major difference separating the rules on the French table and European roulette. With La partage rule, if you place a bet on any even money bet, whether it be red, black, odd or even, 1-18 or 19-36, and the ball falls in the zero slot, then you will receive half of your stake back.
The other rule is known as en prison. With en prison rule, this is essentially a variation of la partage. As it suggests, your original bet will be trapped or imprisoned until the next spin. Rather than getting half of your stake back, the croupier operating the table game will keep your bet in place for the next spin, which in turn, will give you a chance to get a full refund.
You will only get your stake back if your line bet wins, and that is the innate difference between en prison and la partage. With la partage rule, you will recover 50% of your stake, while with the en prison rule, you will get back 100% of your stake on the following spin.
HOW TO PLAY FRENCH ROULETTE STEP BY STEP
Playing French roulette online need not be complicated when you understand the importance of adjacent numbers and odd numbers, and how the betting grid is lined up.
Once you are familiar with the French roulette table layout, you could be making real money bets in no time at all. Below, we have explained how you can play French roulette.
REGISTER AND PLAY FOR FREE OR MAKE REAL MONEY BETS
After doing some research, and you have settled on a licensed and regulated site to play at, you can choose to practice first for free. This is recommended, so you can get a feel for the French roulette tables, and see how live French roulette works at an online casino.
Or if you are ready to dive straight in, then you can play French roulette online for real money. You’ll need to bankroll your account, and you can play for as little as £1 per spin. Make sure you choose a suitable payment method and read all the terms and conditions to collect your welcome bonus.
PICK A FRENCH ROULETTE TABLE
Now, you will need to decide whether to play a live French roulette dealer game which will be highly immersive or a game that is powered entirely by software.
Or if you would rather make bets in French roulette on a private table, then classic interactive French roulette games may be more appealing.
READY YOUR MONEY BETS
You may decide to set your own betting limits, but if you are playing French roulette online, you may only have around 30 seconds to make your money bets.
Of the nine chips, you will need to pick the appropriate chip value and either wait for the croupier to spin the wheel or you will be free to spin the wheel yourself. You will need to make sure you have placed enough chips on the table to cover money bets.
You should therefore stick to bet sizes you can afford to lose. While there are roulette variants, when you play online, there is no need to worry about sticking to a strategy.
WAIT TO SEE IF YOU HAVE WON
Roulette requires patience, so if your ball lands in the correct slot, and you get the winning number, then the croupier will announce all winning bets for that round, and you will leave winning bets in place for the next spin.
FRENCH ROULETTE ODDS AND PAYOUTS
Typically, the French roulette house edge will vary depending on the type of bet you are placing, so even money bets will be a 1.35% edge for the casino. Even money bets carry a lower house edge than odd bets.
With French roulette online, you can choose from over 30 betting selections corresponding to outside bets as well as inside and outside bets.
For example, you may get higher odds of covering fewer numbers. A straight up bet may offer odds of 35/1, while a corner bet covering four numbers could be valued at 8/1. Our tables below distinguish the odds for inside and outside bets.
INSIDE BETS
| Name | Numbers covered | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Single number | 1 | 35/1 |
| Split | 2 | 17/1 |
| Street | 3 | 11/1 |
| Square | 4 | 8/1 |
| Six line | 6 | 5/1 |
OUTSIDE BETS
| Name | Numbers covered | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Column (12) | 12 | 2/1 |
| Dozen bet (12) | 12 | 2/1 |
| Red or Black | 18 | EVENS |
| Odd or Even (Impair or Pair) | 18 | EVENS |
| High or Low (Passe or Manque) | 18 | EVENS |
Even money bets carry a certain cache at a French roulette table. And they arguably produce the best value bets.
FRENCH ROULETTE BETS
French roulette has a full gamut of bet types. Below, we explain the categories of betting for French roulette.
EXOTIC BETS
Some players might refer to these as exotic bets, while some will view them as announced bets or call bets. With announced bets or call bets, you can call them out to the dealer who will place them for you. You may not be surprised to know that announced bets and call bets will have unusual names like Tiers Du Cylindre which isn’t as complicated as it might sound.
NEIGHBOUR BETS
These might sound familiar and the racetrack is a popular feature especially with experienced players. You can click on a number and you can bet on numbers on either side of them.
SPECIALS BETS
To be competent with French bets, you will need to know your specials too. You may not see these advertised at the table, but complete bets, which is sometimes known as the maximum and this will suit high rollers to wager the maximum amount for all of the associated inside bets.
Let’s now take a closer look at some of the most types of even money outside bets placed in roulette.
COLONNE
Referred to as the column bet for French and European roulette, you will be able to place your bet on all the numbers which will be included in one of the three columns in the betting area. A column bet will usually have odds of 2/1.
DOUZAINE
Also known as the dozen bet, to make a full complete bet, you will need to wager on all the numbers included in the first, second, and third sections of the table layout, so you may end up laying down more than six chips. The payout is also 2/1.
CORNER BET
Corner bets will feature a group of four numbers, and the bet covers the four corners where the numbers are adjacent to each other. The bet can also be placed in the corner of 0, 1, 2, and 3, and it carries odds of 8/1.
NOIRE/ROUGE
Essentially, these kinds of odd even bets determine whether the ball lands on red or black. You will need to set your chips on the odd even box, and if the ball lands on red or black, then you will return a winning wager.
Let’s also take a closer look at more bets, more specifically, inside bets that can be found in several roulette games.
EN PLEIN
This equates to straight bets found on the European table. You will bet on one number, and if the ball lands in a particular pocket, you will have picked out the winning number, and this has odds of 35/1 attached.
A CHEVAL
One of six split bets, you bet on two adjoining numbers. With this type of split bet, you will set say five chips on the lines between the numbers, and you only win if the ball lands on one of the numbers, and the odds are 17/1 here.
TRANSVERSALE PLEIN
This street bet is one of those types of bets where you bet on three numbers in a horizontal row on the betting line. You will need to set the chips on the edge line at the end of the row, and the odds are valued at EVENS.
FRENCH ROULETTE STRATEGY AND TIPS
Playing French roulette requires more than just luck. To make the most of the above bets discussed, here are a few tips you should adhere to:
- Progressive betting – With progressive strategies, this is based on raising the size of your bet. This method implies that you double each bet after your loss, and it is quite popular in the Martingale system.
- Flat progression – A smooth progression system is better than progressive betting for even money wagers or a straight bet. The D’Alembert method is the best way to describe this money bet, and if you are lucky, you may end up making more than even money.
- Non-progressive betting – Quite simply, you will keep bets the same throughout the entire game or change them when you prefer to do so. This strategy is common in French roulette, and it entails betting on neighboring numbers. The premise here is that you will enhance your chances of winning if the ball misses the pocket selected by you.
FRENCH ROULETTE VS AMERICAN ROULETTE
With each roulette variation, there are always some subtle differences. Aside from the table layout, American roulette contains a double zero, while the French roulette slot contains only one zero slot.
Therefore, having a double zero in American roulette is not so advantageous for players, and it skews the house edge in favour of the casino.
EUROPEAN VS FRENCH ROULETTE
European and French roulette bears more similarities than American and European roulette. The only thing separating the pair is that the table layouts are slightly different.
In French roulette, for example, the la partage rule makes the odds slightly better for the player as it reduces the significance of the zero by half with an even money bet.
FRENCH ROULETTE RTP
Compared to other roulette games, French roulette is arguably the most lucrative from an RTP (Return to Player) standpoint.
To benefit, you need to place even money bets. Normally, French roulette would have an RTP of 97.3%, but with en prison or la partage, the RTP climbs to 98.65%.
Although this game could offer 100% RTP with a straight bet, it is far from realistic, but with his version, you can pick up small wins regularly with even money bets. Below, we have presented a table, outlining the odds of all types of bets, including the split bet and we show the odds and probability for the main ones.
| 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% |
FRENCH ROULETTE CASINO GAMES IN ENERGYCASINO
French roulette games should be tracked regularly, so you can tilt the house edge in your favour. We have provided an example or two of games suitable for casino players.
STAND-ALONE PLAY STATIONS
If you wish to make bets, you can do so at stand-alone play stations with a live French roulette table. This allows players to compete using lower stakes, and it is about making the game more accessible. You will find such stations in casinos in and around Monte Carlo.
LA PARTAGE
As we saw previously, la partage comes with a lower house edge. You can try out this version of the game, and it will certainly set a few pulses racing for players when they lay down their chips at the table. The game is packed full of features, and when you play online, you can get access to recent game stats, as well as history, and placing bets is very smooth.