French Roulette Online: How to Play, Tips, Strategy and Free Play
Regarded by historians as the original version of this dazzling game, French Roulette is a casino classic, played heavily in both land-based and online casinos. The best thing about this game are the payouts. Compared to other native varieties, this table favourite has the lowest house edge. If you’re interested in learning more, you’ve come to the right place. We commend you on your taste, since this game is one of the most rewarding of the roulette variations! This page is your one stop shop with handy guides to the rules and payouts, tips, strategy and special features, and French Roulette free play!
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French Roulette: Rules and Payouts
Essentially, French Roulette is European Roulette with a different table layout. The placement of a few key betting areas has been shifted. Take the First Dozen bet for example, known as P-12 on the French table, standing for ‘Premiere 12’ or ‘the first 12’ in English. The added Racetrack betting area is native to the French table, which puts so-called Racetrack bets on the side. This is a mere layout difference to the European table, with exactly the same bets available.
Now on to the hot topic: payouts. As mentioned, the first notable difference in French Roulette is the alternative layout and naming conventions, even though bets and payouts are the same. There is, however, one other distinct difference in this version – the quirky concept known as La Partage, meaning “sharing”. This rule is unique to the French Roulette game. Should the ball land in the bold green zero pocket on an even money bet (high/low, even/odd or red/black), half of the bet is returned to the player. When this happens, the house edge falls to 1.35%, giving this version the lowest loss, which also reflects on the overall returns since players have a better chance of increasing their stakes.
French Roulette Betting Odds and Payouts
| Bet Type | Odds | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Chances/ Even Money | 48.6% | 1:1 |
| Dozens | 32.4% | 2:1 |
| Transversal Simple | 16.2% | 5:1 |
| Carré, Les Quatre Premiers | 10.8% | 8:1 |
| Transversal Pleine | 8.1% | 11:1 |
| Cheval | 5.4% | 17:1 |
| Plein | 2.7% | 35:1 |
En Prison is another concept you’ll only find in the French Roulette game. This is a variant of the La Partage rule and gives players the exciting opportunity to recover their stake after a zero spin, provided their bet was one of the even money. Players have their original stake placed ‘in prison’, which means the stake is placed once more on the original bet. If the same bet wins on the next spin, the stake is returned to the player, on the other hand, if it loses, the whole bet is forfeited. Either way, La Partage and En Prison rules are more favourable toward the player compared to the standard European and American roulette games.
French Roulette Tips and Strategy
Fear not – though it may seem intense, players aren’t actually expected to have mastered the French language to exceed in this game. There are, however, some French Roulette tips and strategic guidelines to get your off to a good start. The following tables will get you up to speed with the common calls during a game as well as the descriptions of each bet type.
| Croupier Calls and Table Staples | |
|---|---|
| Faites vos jeux! | Place your bets please! |
| Coup | The throw of the ball in to the wheel |
| Rien ne va plus | No more bets |
| Jeton | A game chip |
| Râteau | The Rake: Used to move the chips around the table and show the winning number |
| Bet Descriptions | |
|---|---|
| Plein | Betting on a single number |
| Cheval | A horse: Betting on two contiguous numbers |
| Carré | Square: When a bet is placed on four numbers |
| Douzaine | Dozen: A bet on the first, second or third dozen |
| Premier | The term for putting a bet on the entire first dozen (1-12) |
| Milieu | The second dozen (13-24) |
| Dernièr | The third dozen (25-36) |
| Impair | Odd: A bet on the odd numbers |
| Pair | Even: Betting on the even numbers |
| Manque | Failed: Setting the bet to numbers 1-18 (the ball failed to advance past 18) |
| Passé | Pass: A bet on numbers 19-36 |
| Noir | Bets on black |
| Rouge | Bets on red |
| Transversale Simple | Six line bet: Players place a bet on the line divinding two street bets. |
| Transversale Pleine | Betting on the numbers of a cross-row |
| Street | Betting on a horizontal line of three numbers |
| Call Bets | |
|---|---|
| Orphelins | The orphans: Segments 1-9 on the left and 17-6 on the right side of the wheel |
| Voisins du Zero | Bet on 17 neighbours of the zero – 22-25 on the wheel |
| Tiers du Cylindre | Segment on the third of the wheel at the bottom – numbers 33 to 27 |
| Jeu Zéro | Small version of Voisins: Wager on 2 numbers to the right and 4 to the left of zero |
The outside bets are all renamed with the French wording, as you can see in our glossary above. But don’t be put off by the French language – the wording may be different but the bets all work in the same way. The best you can do is take advantage of the more common outside wins, utilise the La Partage and En Prison rules to your benefit, and play with a clear head. For those in it for the long haul, there are also betting systems such as Paroli or Martingale that you can choose to follow. These may help you cut down your losses by strategically choosing when to up your wager.
- Tips to Be Successful at French Roulette Online
- Play for low stakes, and keep a level head!
- Balance outside and inside bets
- Incorporate a tried and tested betting strategy
- Familiarise yourself with the French terminology
- Understand the betting odds and payouts
- Look for the en Prison rule
The Special Features of French Roulette Online
Apart from the La Partage and En Prison rules and the use of French in bet names and announcements, French Roulette is so like the European version, the two are often mistaken. This is due to both standard versions having one single green pocket, in comparison to the American game with two green zero pockets. Having one zero favours players since the house edge is lower. Traditionally, the French style table has a wheel in the centre and the table out on either side. This set up is rarely seen outside of the Monte Carlo casinos, though. You’re more likely to find the standard layout with a wheel at one end and the table taking bets on the other.
Where to Find Premium French Roulette Online
After reading up on the game and trying out some demo play, it’s the time to think about playing for real money. To really enjoy the fantastic array of French Roulette games available online, you’ll want to play at only the best online casinos out there. We recommend the following casino as the best place to get your fix, but you’re also free to browse our other top-rated gambling site picks for added variety. To read up on other thrilling roulette variants, head over to our introductory guide for an overview of all things roulette!