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French Roulette is the original version of roulette, which became popular after the French Revolution.
When it comes to the up-to-date version of roulette, its first direct predecessor was created in 1655 by Blaise Pascal, a mathematician who tried to invent the perpetual motion machine, an apparatus which, as the scientist thought, should have been working without an energy source. Well, the mistake was so successful that even now Pascal’s wheel is widely used in both online and offline gambling halls!
French Roulette Basic Rules and Technical Characteristics
French roulette has some distinctive features that distinguish it from European and American analogs. The main characteristics of French roulette are as follows:
- A wheel of 37 sectors: 36 sectors are either black or red, and one “zero” sector is green.
- 10 types of bets (5 inside and 5 outside).
- Two special rules: La Partage and En Prison.
- The basic advantage of the casino is 2.7%, but it is reduced to only 1.35% for bets on equal chances.
Although many know the basic rules of roulette, let’s revise them: the aim of the game is to guess the cell that the ball lands all. According to the rules, the player can bet on either red or black color, a certain group of numbers, odd or even, and so on.
Before we consider the key difference between French roulette and its American and European counterparts, we should state that the name of the game doesn’t guarantee the fixed set of rules, which means French roulette may include some features of European roulette and vice versa.
How to choose the version to play? Naturally, you should account the advantage of the casino. From this perspective, French roulette seems to be the best choice. Its special rules reduce the house edge by two times for some bets:
- La Partage: if the ball hits zero, the gambler gets back the half of the amount.
- En Prison: if the ball hits zero, the punter gets a free spin, and if he wins, he gets his money back.
Types of Bets, Payouts, and Winnings Odds
Just like in any other type of roulette, French version supports inside and outside bets. The first type is very risky and provides luxurious payouts, up to 35 times the bet, while outside bets pay either 1:1 or 2:1.
Payouts for Outside Bets
| Bet Name | Payout | Casino Advantage |
| Six Line (a bet on two streets) | 5:1 | 2.7% |
| Corner (four numbers) | 8:1 | 2.7% |
| Street (three adjacent number) | 11:1 | 2.7% |
| Split (two adjacent numbers) | 17:1 | 2.7% |
| Straight up (any single number) | 35:1 | 2.7% |
Payouts for Inside Bets
| Bet Name | Payout | Casino Advantage |
| Columns (12 numbers in one of the three columns) | 2:1 | 2.7% |
| Dozens (a bet on the first, the second or the third group of 12 numbers) | 2:1 | 2.7% |
| Low or High | 1:1 | 1.35% |
| Odd or Even | 1:1 | 1.35% |
| Black or Red | 1:1 | 1.35% |
Closing Remarks
French Roulette is the most advantageous type of roulette as it provides the lowest house edge, especially compared to the American version, in which the casino advantage if fixed at 5.26%. Novice players are recommended to play the outside bets, which are not too profitable, but quite safe. As for seasoned gamesters, they will get a genuine pleasure from using split and straight bets.
