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Article Summary
French roulette is the oldest form of the game, and it also has the lowest house edge, making it attractive to many players around the world and at live casinos like Genting.
Keep reading to find out more about French roulette, including:
What Is French Roulette?
French roulette is the oldest form of roulette, and it was invented by chance by scientist Blaise Pascal in the 18th century. Pascal was trying to invent a perpetual motion machine, and ended up creating the roulette wheel (roulette translates as ‘little wheel’) instead.
The wheel features 37 pockets numbered 1 – 36 with one zero, which is the same as European roulette. French roulette can be distinguished from the other types of roulette because it features bet types with French names, plus two rules that do not apply in American or European roulette.
You can find out more by reading the sections below.
French Roulette vs. American Roulette
As we touched on above, French roulette only has one zero pocket, whereas American roulette has two. This means that the odds of winning in French roulette are higher, and there are a couple more rules that also give players better odds in the French version of the game.
Both of these rules apply if the ball lands on zero. In most American and European roulette games, if the ball lands on zero you will lose (unless you have specifically bet on zero). However, many French games feature the La Partage rule, which means that any even-number bets are divided in two (‘partage’ means ‘the divide’). 50% of the bet will be kept by the house (aka the casino) and 50% will be returned to the player.
Some French roulette games also use the En Prison rule when the ball lands on zero, which essentially ‘imprisons’ or freezes any non-winning bets until the next spin. If you win on the next spin, you get your bet back. If you lose, the casino keeps the money.
The Basics of French Roulette: Rules and Gameplay
French roulette has 37 pockets, with the numbers 1 to 36 plus one 0. The aim of the game is to predict which number the ball will land on. Bets can be made on single numbers or groups of numbers, and different types of bets have different payouts.
Once all bets have been made, the dealer will spin the wheel. If you pick a winning number, you will receive a payout.
The French Roulette Table: Wheel and Layout
In most roulette games, you’ll see a roulette wheel and a ‘layout’, which is where bets are placed using chips. The layout is a representation of the bets available on the wheel, but you’ll notice that it is rectangular rather than round.
French Roulette Wheel
The French roulette wheel consists of 37 pockets in total: one ‘zero’ pocket and the rest numbered from 1 to 36.
Adjacent numbers are not opposite each other on the wheel, and although their order may seem random they are actually arranged according to a specific pattern. On the right side of the zero pocket you’ll see nine black numbers and nine red ones. The black numbers on this side are low, while the red ones are high.
French Roulette Layout
The French roulette ’layout’ is the area on the game screen where you place your bets. In physical casinos it is usually covered with green cloth, and many online roulette games replicate this look. The layout of French roulette is very similar to European roulette, as both games only have one zero pocket.
The layout is divided into two sections, which represent the two main types of bets in roulette. Inside bets are placed in the inner part of the layout, and each of the 37 numbers on the reel has its own pocket.
Outside bets are placed in the outside section of the layout, and it has specific areas for odd/even bets, red/black, high/low, column and dozen bets. These bet types are often written in French (for example, ‘pair’ means ‘even’ and ‘impair’ means odd), but they will usually be written in English too.
French Roulette Odds and Bet Types
There are a few different types of bets you can place in French roulette games. They can be split into two categories: inside bets and outside bets.
Keep reading for a brief introduction to each bet type, plus some information on French roulette odds:
Inside Bets
Inside bets are those which are placed on specific numbers inside the area with the numbered boxes. They include bets like Straight Up, Split, and more.
Bet | Description | Payout Ratio |
Straight bet | Bet on one specific number to win. | 35:1 |
Split bet | Bet on two adjacent numbers on the layout, in the hopes that one of them will win. | 17:1 |
Street bet | Bet on a row of three numbers on the layout (for example, 13, 14, and 15). | 11:1 |
Line bet | Bet on four numbers in a line (for example, 0, 1, 2, 3). | 8:1 |
Corner bet | Bet on four numbers on the layout which share the same corner - effectively, a 2x2 square. | 5:1 |
Outside Bets
Outside bets cover wagers placed on the outside of the area with the numbered boxes on the table layout. Rather than betting on a specific number, outside bets are placed on a group of numbers - for example, red or black, odd or even, high or low, columns or dozens.
Bet | Description | Payout Ratio |
Column bet | Bet on an entire horizontal line. | 2:1 |
Douzaine | Bet on a group of 12 numbers, e.g. 1 - 12. | 2:1 |
Rouge/Noir | Bet on red (rouge) or black (noir) numbers. | 1:1 |
Pair/Impair | Bet on even (pair) or odd (impair) numbers. | 1:1 |
Manque/Passe | Bet on low (manque) or high (passe) numbers. | 1:1 |
En Prison and La Partage
French roulette has a couple of different rules that come into play if the ball lands on zero. Here is some more information about each of them:
- En Prison rule:
When the ball lands on zero, the En Prison essentially ‘imprisons’ or freezes any non-winning bets until the next spin. If you win on the next spin, you get your bet back. If you lose, the casino keeps the money.
- La Partage rule:
La Partage rule, which means that any even-number bets are divided in two (‘partage’ means ‘the divide’). 50% of the bet will be kept by the house (aka the casino) and 50% will be returned to the player.
Advanced Bets
Advanced bets (sometimes named ‘called bets’) offer some different betting options once you get the hang of the more basic bets. Here’s a quick introduction to the advanced bets:
- Voisins du Zéro (‘neighbours of zero’)
Bet on the nine numbers to the left of the zero pocket, and the seven numbers on the right (plus the zero itself). This bet covers 17 numbers in total.
- Le Tiers du Cylindre (‘thirds of the wheel’)
This bet is made on the third at the bottom of the wheel, and includes 12 numbers stretching from 27 - 33 on the wheel.
- Orphelins (‘orphans’)
The ‘orphaned’ numbers are those which are not included in the voisins or the cylindre bets. There are five ‘orphan’ numbers on the left side of the reel and three on the right, meaning that the bet consists of eight numbers in total.
- Finales
You can also choose to bet on all the numbers that end in a certain number of your choice (for example, 3, 13, 23 and 33).
How to Play French Roulette
Playing French roulette is quite straightforward. However, be sure to check the rules of the specific game you’re playing, as there are some variations.
- Choose a number or set of numbers you want to bet on. Inside bets offer lower odds but better payouts, whereas outside bets offer higher odds and smaller payouts.
- Decide how much money you want to bet.
- Place your bet on the number/numbers of your choice, using the layout.
- Wait for the live dealer (or the computer) to spin the wheel and reveal the winning number.
- If you’ve guessed the right number, you can collect your winnings.
- Place another bet and try again.
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