Roulette is one of the most popular games that you can play at modern online casinos. This game genre has a rich history, dating back multiple centuries. Gamblers are quite fond of roulette games regardless of the form they come in and the Internet is full of excellent titles. One of the most intriguing and engaging types of roulette is the French version, which, as its name implies, originated and is mostly played in France.
However, with the advent of online casinos, millions of gamblers now have the opportunity to experience this excellent casino game. French Roulette can appear to be rather perplexing to the uninitiated, but once you get the hang of it, you will be able to recite the rules. In this article, we will explore all important aspects of French Roulette and give you some suggestions regarding the best roulette games on the Internet.
French Roulette Table and Wheel
French Roulette is quite distinct from other versions of the genre and it comes with some features which are exclusive to it. French Roulette uses the single-zero wheel, which has 36 alternating red and black pockets and a green one for the zero. This wheel layout is also shared with European Roulette, which may cause you to confuse the two at first. The wheel does not present the numbers in the original sequence, rather it uses the following one:
0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25-17-34-6-27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33-1-20-14-31-9-22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26
On the table, you will find all of the betting options that French Roulette has to offer. The numbers grid is presented as 12 horizontal lines and 3 vertical ones, with the zero on the top. Below that, you will find the Outside bets which come in their original French names. Additionally, a French Roulette game will likely feature a racetrack wheel, which resembles the roulette wheel and the numbers there are placed in the same order. Next to the racetrack wheel, you will also find the so-called Announce bets, which are additional bets often seen in French Roulette.
French Roulette Bets
Roulette is one of the most diverse games in the gambling world, partly due to the variety of bets that you may place on every spin. Each time that you play, you may place different bets, each with its own unique odds and payout ratios. Bets are placed on the table layout and depending on where you place them, there are two types – Inside and Outside bets. Below, you will find a detailed explanation for each possible bets, including their chances of success and the payout that you can expect.
Inside Bets
Inside bets include wagers that you place within the numbers grid and these cover anything from a wager on a single number to a whole group of them.
The Straight Up is a bet where you place one chip or more on a single number. This wager features high risk of losing, but also very high rewards if you manage to win. The chance for success on a Straight Up bet is 2.7%, whereas the payout ratio is 35:1. The chip has to be placed within the specific number’s square.
The Split is a bet where you place a wager on two neighboring numbers at the same time (e.g. 4-5). For you to win, the ball has to land on either of the two numbers. Your chances of winning are 5.40%, while the payout is 17:1. The chip has to be placed on the border between the two numbers.
The Street is a bet where you place a wager on a horizontal line of three numbers (e.g. 4-5-6). The win condition for this wager is when the ball falls on either of the three numbers. The chance to win this bet is 8.10% and the payout ratio is 11:1. For you to place this bet, you would have to position the chip on the far end of the line.
The Corner bet is where you place a wager on four neighboring numbers at the same time (e.g. 4-5-7-8). If the ball lands on either of these numbers, you will win the bet. You can expect to be successful 10.81% of the time and you will receive an 8:1 payout for every win. The chip has to be placed on the point where the four numbers meet on the grid.
The Double Street or Six Line is a bet where you place a wager on 6 numbers in two neighboring horizontal lines (e.g. 1-2-3-4-5-6). For you to win this wager, the ball has to land on one of these numbers. Your chances of winning are 16.51% while the payout is set at 5:1. The chip is placed on the point where the two lines meet.
The Trio is a bet where you place a wager on three numbers, one of which is the zero and the other two of its neighbors. For example, a Trio bet can cover 0-1-2 or 0-2-3. The Trio similar to the Street bet and features the same winning chances and payouts.
Outside Bets
Outside bets are the other bet type that you will find on the roulette table. These bets usually include a large group of numbers based on several factors, such as value, color and others. Additionally, they also feature slightly lower payout ratios, which is balanced by the higher win chance.
The Red or Black bet is a wager on whether the winning number will be a particular color. Your chances of winning it are 48.64% and the payout is 1:1, also referred to as even money.
The Odd or Even are wagers on the parity of the winning number. This bet type also gives you a 48.64% chance of success and the payout ratio is 1:1.
The High or Low are bets that cover one half of the numbers grid. The Low includes numbers 1 through 18, while the High 19 through 36. Much like the previous two bets, this one also comes with a 48.64% chance of winning and the payout is even money.
The Column bet is a wager on one of the three vertical lines of the numbers grid and if the winning number is in that column you will win the bet. Your chances of doing so are 32.43% per spin while the payout is 2:1.
The Dozen bet is identical to the Column, but it includes 3 groups of 12 numbers, namely 1 through 12, 13 through 24, and 25 through 36. If the ball lands a number which is in your designated group, you will win at a ratio of 2:1.
As you have noticed, neither of these bets include the zero pocket. This means that when the ball does land on the zero, it will result in an automatic loss for you.
Announce Bets
Announce bets are technically Inside bets but they deserve their own category since they are somewhat special among gambling circles. What you should note, is that not all roulette games will offer these bets and you may have to place them one by one. Basically, Announce bets are a combination of multiple Inside bets using a varying number of chips. However, unlike Inside bets, Announce bets are formed with relations to how the numbers are presented on the wheel rather than how they are featured on the layout.
Voisins du Zero is ‘neighbors of zero’ in French and it covers 17 numbers which are positioned on both sides of the zero pocket on the wheel. To place this bet you would need a minimum of 9 chips and it covers a Trio bet on 0-2-3 where you place 2 chips, another 2 are placed on the Corner of 25-26-28-29, one chip is placed on the following Splits: 4-7, 12-15, 18-21, 19-22, and 32-35.
Tiers du Cylindre means ‘third of the wheel’ and it covers roughly one-third of it. When you place this wager, you will bet 1 chip on each of the following Split: 5-8, 10-11, 13-16, 23-24, 27-30, 33-36, totaling 12 numbers. To place a Tiers du Cylindre bet you will need a minimum of 6 chips or multiples thereof.
The Jeu Zero bet translates to ‘zero game’ and it involves the numbers which are closest to the zero pocket on the wheel. To place this wager you will need a minimum of 4 chips or multiples of 4, that will cover the following Splits: 0-3, 12-15, 32-35, and the 6 as a Straight Up.
The Les Orphelins, meaning the ‘Orphans’, refers to two sections of the wheel which are not covered by the Voisins du Zéro or the Tiers du Cylindre bets. You need 5 chips as a minimum to place this wager and it covers 8 numbers, namely the Splits 6-9, 14-17, 17-20 and 31-34 and a Straight Up on 1.
Neighbors Bets are not exact wagers, rather they cover a number and the two numbers on each of its sides. For example, a bet on 35 and the neighbors will cover the following numbers 28-12-35-3-26. You can place these are you see fit and there are no restrictions on which numbers you choose.
La Partage and En Prison Rules
The La Partage and En Prison are rules exclusive to French Roulette and are also what makes the game so appealing. These two rules have a significant impact on the game and will make your gaming experience much more favorable. An interesting rule–La Partage Rule–goes thusly: when a player wages an even amount of money, should the ball land in the zero pocket, half of their money will be returned. Similarly, the En Prison comes into play in the exact same scenario, however, rather than returning half your bet, it keeps the whole of it ‘in prison’. If you win the next spin, the wager will be returned to you, but if you lose it will be forfeited.
These rules are often mutually exclusive and any game will only include one of them. While some French Roulette games do feature one of these rules, there are those that do not. To be sure, you should always check the rules of the game you are playing.
The effect of these rules is that they lower the house edge for even money bet, but we will discuss this in the next point.
French Roulette RTP and House Edge
Return-to-player percentage and house edge are two of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a casino game. The RTP percentage is the statistical amount of money that a game will payout over an infinite number of spins, with the casino keeping the rest as profit. The rule goes that the higher the RTP percentage is the more favorable the game will be.
The house edge indicates the statistical advantage that the casino has over the players at any given game. It is calculated by the difference in the casino odds versus the true odds. True odds refers to the odds of winning a particular spin, whereas the casino odds are the actual payout ratios for the same spin. For example, the odds of winning a Straight Up bet are 1 in 36, since there is 1 outcome in which you win and 36 others in which you lose. According to this, the payout ratio should be 36:1, however, the actual payout is 35:1. This difference makes up the house edge. We can calculate this by using the following formula:
(Odds Against Winning – House Odds) * Probability of Winning * 100 = House Edge Percentage
If we take this equation and we enter the appropriate numbers, we will have the following:
(36/1 – 35/1) * 1/37 * 100 = 2.7027027
Essentially, this means that the house edge of French Roulette is roughly 2.7%. This is the long-term percentage that the casino will keep as profit over a long period of time. However, where things get interesting is when we take into account the La Partage and En Prison rule. These two rules change the dynamic of the game and have a significant effect on the house edge.
The La Partage halves your losses when you lose an even money bet and the ball lands in the zero pocket, whereas the En Prison gives you second chance to win it back. Both rules reduce the house edge by half for even money bets, more specifically for the Red/Black, Odd/Even, and High/Low wagers, essentially bringing it down to 1.35%. As a result, French Roulette is the most favorable out of all roulette variants and is your best option in terms of odds.
Most Popular French Roulette Games
By now you probably must be thinking how you can get your hands on one of these French Roulette games. Luckily, this is one of the most popular variations of the game and you can find it at just about any online casino on the market.
Instead, we will give you some examples of the best French Roulette games available out there. Each title on this list is a high-quality game, developed by some of the most respected software providers in the industry.
French Roulette Gold by Microgaming
French Roulette Gold by Microgaming is one of the best games of its type and it represents some of the company’s best work. Playing French Roulette Gold is one of the most thrilling gambling experiences that you can have on the Internet. The game features relatively wide betting limits, making it suitable for all kinds of players.
Moreover, French Roulette Gold uses the La Partage rule, reducing the already low house for even money bets even further. The graphics of French Roulette Gold are without a doubt beautiful and you will be hard-pressed to find a better-looking game on the Internet. Another great perk of the game is that you will be able to access it from both desktop computers and mobile devices.
French Roulette by Playtech
French Roulette by Playtech is yet another excellent roulette game which is commonly available at a wide range of online casinos. Playtech is one of the best software providers in the industry and is responsible for some of the most beloved games on the market.
French Roulette is no exception to this rule. This is a great adaptation of the original game and you will be able to experience it to its full extent. Moreover, French Roulette also has engaging and exciting gameplay and the game will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole duration of your gaming session.
French Roulette by Microgaming
French Roulette by Microgaming is the first game of this type to be developed by the company and it remains a solid addition to any gaming library. Microgaming has been in the casino game development business for more than 20 years and it has perfected its craft.
French Roulette is one of the best games to ever come out from the development studios of the company and it is one that any gambling enthusiast has to play. The game features liberal betting limits, allowing both casual players and high rollers to enjoy it.
Premium French Roulette by Playtech
Playtech’s Premium Series includes a wide variety of table games, with French Roulette being one of them. This series of games is arguably some of the Playtech’s best work and nowhere is this as truer as when taking a look at Premium French Roulette. The game comes with a variety of features which will make your experience that much better. The betting limits of the game are quite inclusive, allowing players on many different budgets to enjoy it thoroughly.
The visuals of Premium French Roulette are breathtaking and you will marvel at the screen, watching the wheel spin. The graphical fidelity is truly excellent and the background music will fully immerse you in the casino atmosphere. All in all, you will have a hard time finding a game that can match the quality of Premium French Roulette, let alone surpass it.
Live French Roulette Gold by Evolution Gaming
Live dealer games have been growing in popularity over the last few years and Evolution Gaming has been at the forefront of the live casino scene for about a decade at this point. Theirs are some of the best live dealer games on the market and Live French Roulette Gold is indicative of the company’s expertise and knowledge. Live French Roulette Gold will give you the opportunity to experience the classic game in a truly authentic casino setting, without the need to even leave the comfort of your own home.
The game also includes a social aspect, not generally found in traditional virtual casino games. You will be able to communicate with the other players, as well as the dealer, which will doubtlessly give you much more enjoyment from the game. Overall, Live French Roulette Gold is one of the best French Roulette experience out there and we wholeheartedly recommend that you give it a shot.
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