Online Casino French Roulette
Roulette fans worldwide love playing the French version of the game and there are many reasons for this as we will explore. However, the biggest reason is that it has the lowest house edge out of all the variants so you have a higher chance of winning in the long term compared with the American or European choices.
The game first originated in France as the name suggests and you might not know that the word “roulette” comes from the French meaning of “little wheel”. It’s a small detail that roulette players should know since it gives a back story to the game.
Best French Roulette Online Casinos
The rules of this variant are very similar to the European and American versions, so you will feel right at home if you have played those in the past. The biggest differences are the added rules that you need to know about, which are En Prison and La Partage. Furthermore, there are call and French bets that we will also be discussing further on in the text. Finally, you need to know that the 00 number is not present here, which is a reason why the house edge is lower. To learn everything you need to know about one of the table game classics of the casino industry keep reading.
The Table Layout of French Roulette
If you have played the European version previously, then you will feel right at home here. That’s because the table layout is identical, which means that there are 37 numbers where the ball can land on. Numbers 1 to 36 have a black and red landing spot and there is a single green number too. However, take a closer look at the wheel and you’ll see that the numbers do not increase in consecutive order. The random pattern is there to ensure that the ball lands randomly, which contributes to the fairness of the game.
You’ll also see that the red and black numbers have an alternating pattern. Therefore, you have an equal and random chance to land on any of the colors. Finally, you should notice that the numbers are ordered in pairs of even and odd. The only deviation from this rule is the numbers that surround the green 0 number. However, this is little bearing on the chance of winning or the betting strategy.
Regardless of what roulette wheel you like the best you need to understand that there is a random distribution. This means that the colors, odd or even, low and high numbers have a random distribution that cannot be cheated. Also, the ball spins for a long time so there is a truly random nature to where the ball will land.
The layout of the table is one of the differences that you should be aware of and that’s because of the wheel placement. You will notice that the wheel is positioned in the center and there are betting boards on either side of the wheel. This will stand out at a distance compared to other variants of the game. However, this is not as golden rule when paying online. The table layout depends on what the software provider has decided to do and they have a big imagination.
In most brick and mortar casinos, you will see that the felt color is red for the French variant but that’s not the case for online play. You will have the chance to change the felt to a variant of colors based on what the software provider allows. Also, you will notice this variant of the game from a distance because the numbers have a red color on the betting squares.
Furthermore, this variant is easily distinguished from others since you can see French writing on the felt. Words such as passe, manqué and impair will be written that should straight away signal French. Don’t be fooled when you see a French version with the translated English words, because that can happen too.
Therefore, in most cases you will see that the words even and odd are written as pair and impair. Whereas, the words high and low are written as passe and manqué. Furthermore, you may see that the words black and red are written as noir and rouge. The first dozen number (1-12) might be called premeire douzaine, the second dozen (13-22) will be called moyenne douzaine, and the 3rd dozen (25-36) are called derniere douzaine. These can also be referred to as P12, M12 and D12 respectively.
The call bets are located in a part of the betting board known as the racetrack. It is commonly removed from the main part of the betting board. Players that have a sharp eye will see that this is a roulette wheel replica.
French Roulette Extra Rules
As you may remember, in the introduction we shared that there are 2 additional rules to know about when playing the French variant of online roulette. These are En Prison and La Partage. It is the most significant difference from the American and European versions that players should know about before they start placing wagers. The essence of these rules is that money will be given back to the player if the ball lands on the unexpected green number. In the American version, when this happens any bets placed not on the green number will be a losing one.
In European casinos the game has different rules when the ball lands on the green number, which helps players cover their losses. It can avoid players facing huge losses and helps them keep a strategy that has a higher chance of winning. Some online casinos might have a rule where the wager needs to remain on the felt until the bet is either a loss or a win and this can only occur when the ball does not land on the 0 number.
American roulette players have the option of surrendering so they do not need to wait for a win or lose outcome. Make sure that you do not confuse this surrender rule with that of the Blackjack one. The surrender rules is only applicable to outside bets made, which are the ones on black, red, odd, even, high and low. Because of the surrender rule the house edge drops to just 2.63%, so it’s a good strategy for reducing your chances of losing in a tight spot.
Overall, the essence of these rules is that you will only part with half of your stake if the ball happens to land on the infamous green number 0. Therefore, you will still have money to wager with and continue playing this classic casino game.
What Is the La Partage Rule?
You can translate the La Partage rule to dividing or sharing. The rule means that when the number 0 is triggered then even money bets are split in half. The even money wagers include odd or even, black or red, low or high. To be clear, half the wager made on these bet types will be returned back to your bankroll. Also, you will not get your money back for any inside bets that you have made. For example, you will not receive your stake back if you made bets on specific numbers such as 4, 17 or 32.
What Is the en Prison Rule?
The translation for the French meaning is “in prison”, which gives you a clue about what this rule is about. It’s mostly used in real brick and mortar casinos and you will not see it applied much online. Most commonly in Monaco the rule is applied to the majority of their roulette tables.
The idea of the rule is to keep all 50/50 money bets on the betting table when the wheel lands the ball on the number 0. The dealer will get a marker and note what bets should remain in place and they are said to be imprisoned. It is a lot better than losing your wager when the ball lands on the green number every time, so it gives player another chance.
French Roulette House Edge
The majority of players who go to the roulette tables want to enjoy the French version because it offers the best odds of winning. This is the case because there is only one green number, but for other variants you will see 2 green numbers.
Additionally, when you are playing with the En Prison and La Partage rules, the house edge goes down even further. This empowers the players to have a higher chance of winning and is a good gesture by casinos.
French Roulette Bet Types
It’s time to take a look at the various type of bets that you can place when enjoying the action at a French roulette table. To simply things the bets can be broken down into 3 categories, which are outside, inside and call (racetrack) betting options.
Outside Bet Overview
You might want to start with outside bets as a newcomer to the game because they provide the highest chance of getting a return on your stake. However, the only drawback with this is that the return for each wager will not be huge. It means you are unlikely to win a big amount of money from small inside bets. Here are the most common outside bets:
- Black or red: here the player is deciding if the ball is going to land on either the red or black number. The odds are just under 50% of this happening. If there was no green number, then the odds would be exactly 50%.
- Even or odd: there is the same distribution of even and odd numbers around the roulette wheel. You can decide if the ball lands on odd or even with a payout of 1 to 1. This means that you’ll receive a profit of $5 if you place a $5 stake.
- High or low: another 1 to 1 bet type is if the ball lands on the high or low numbers. The low numbers are 1 to 18 whereas the high numbers are 19 to 36. Note that 0 is not mentioned here, which means it falls outside of this betting type.
- Column betting type: you can increase the risk and place bets on a 2 to 1 payout, which means that you are betting on a column. For example, let’s say that you want to wager on the bottom column of the board, then you would get a payout if you land on 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 and 34.
- Dozen betting type: here you will receive a payout of 2 to 1 and there are 3 groups. They are 1 to 12, 13 to 24 and 25 to 36. There is a chance of just under 33% that you will receive a payout from this type of wager.
Inside Bet Overview
As players get more experience you may want to start making risker bets and these are known as inside bets. However, the advantage of this bet type is that you will receive a bigger payout. It means that you can win a lot of money in a short amount of time and experience the true adrenaline rush of roulette gaming. Here are the inside bets you should know about before playing:
- Individual numbers: this is one of the simplest bet type and you get a chance of a 35x payout of the stake amount. Here you simply place a bet on one of the numbers and hope that the ball lands on it.
- Number combinations: you can also place wagers on number combos by placing the chip on the lines that divide them. You will have a payout of 17x if the ball lands on one of the selected numbers.
- Street bets: here you can place bets on any of the rows where 3 numbers lie. You would do so by positioning the chip at the outside of the row. For example, you can bet that the ball will land on 25, 26 or 27 and have a payout of 11x.
- Square bets: to have a chance of getting an 8x payout you will need to wager on 4 numbers. Place the chip on the corner that connects to all 4 numbers that you want to wager on. For instance, you can bet that the ball lands on 16, 17, 19 and 22.
- 6-line: with this wager type you are able to mix things up by betting on 6 numbers at once, which is essentially 2 rows. For instance, place the chip on the outside of the rows and on the line between them. The payout rate is 5x for the 6 line wagers.
- Trio bets: here you are able to place bets on the ball landing on 1 of 3 numbers, but one of them must be 0. You will receive an 11x payout for staking your money on a trio bet.
- 4-number bet: this is a wager that you can only place when you are playing on a French or European table. It is a betting type that will reward you with 8x the stake amount and you make it by choosing the 4 numbers at the start of the betting grid.
Call Bet Overview
When making a call bet you will be using the racetrack of the betting gird and you are wagering that the ball will land on a part of the wheel. The racetrack mimics the wheel so you are trying to get a feel for where the ball will physically land.
When making a Voisins du Zero bet it refers to the 17 numbers of the wheel between 22-25. Furthermore, the punter must wager 9 chip combos of trio bets, corner and split. Keep in mind that the number that wins will be on the wheel section they have selected. Overall, you can receive a 24x payout, which is big compared to most other betting types.
The Tiers du Cylindre refers to the 2nd part of the wheel and the numbers covered here are between 27 and 33. 6 chips will be sued to make the wager so that all numbers can be covered during the round. You have a 17x payout possibility, giving you a chance for a big payday.
Orphelins refers to 8 numbers that are known as orphans. The numbers are 17, 43, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31 and 9. You will need to use 5 chips to execute the wager and the payout rate is at 35x or 17x. The number the ball lands on will ultimately determine the amount of money the gamblers receive.
Final bets are based on what number the digit ends in. For instance, the numbers 2, 12, 22 and 32 will be part of this bet type. You will need either 3 or 4 chips to complete the bet depending on what numbers you are targeting.
The French roulette variant allows punters to make what is known as a full complete wager. However, most players do not even consider making such a bet because it required many chips in a single round. The majority of land based casinos only allow this betting type for the high stakes players.
This bet type basically means that every single bet that can be made is focused on a single number. However, the chips will not actually be placed on the betting board if you want to complete this action. It’s a high risk strategy but can also be a good source of winnings if it pays off.
Call and Announced Bet Differences
You may think that call and announce bets are the same, but upon closer inspection you will notice some differences. With call bets the players simply ask the dealer to lay out the chips on the bets that they want to make, and don’t need to se their own ones. So in effect they are making bets by borrowing funds from the casino.
In a physical casino you are not allowed to make such bets because no player is allowed to receive credit for wagers. The situation can get out of hand if many players decided to place call bets that they could not cover if they lost.
In real life what ends up occurring is that announced wagers are made. Here the betting costs are covered immediately, which is the big difference. You will not use credit but your own money to make the wager.
Announcing bets has the advantage of being faster and easier because they do not need to lay the chips out. The bet must be communicated with the dealer and how this process works depends on what casino you are playing at.
Playing French Roulette Online – What You Should Know
There is no extra training or preparations that you need to make when playing this classic table game online. It is beginner friendly and will work over the slowest of internet connections. To ensure that you understand the rules it is a good idea to choose the play money option.
The aim of the game is the same as at a physical casino. You are trying to predict where the ball will land once it is put into motion by the spin of the wheel. The layout of the wheel and betting table is the same as the brick and mortar version. However, the visual aesthetics might be different based on what the software provider offers.
Before you start betting it’s a smart idea to look at what chip denominations are available. This will allow you to ensure that you gamble only what you can afford to lose. Also, it’s worth choosing the chips amounts that give you a lot of room to play. It would be sad if your session ended after just a few rounds.
Once the chip denomination is chosen you will need to consider how risky of a bet you want to place. The inside bets are the riskiest and can take longer to pay off, but you do get more when they hit. On the other hand, the outside bets are a good place to start if you want to increase the chance of a payout. Make sure you learn how to place the different wager types at the start of using the casino website.
Once the roulette wheel spins it will take just a few moments before the results are displayed. Online offers fast and action packed games so you don’t have to wait as long. Also, the winning bets are clearly displayed on the screen, which is an advantage over playing in a physical casino.
You can also leave the chips on the table if you wish to make the same wager again in the next round. To avoid this go to the settings and choose an option that automatically removes the chips after each round.
French Roulette Software Providers
When playing at an online casino you will see that the majority of them offer the French variant as an option. That’s because players flock to this version since it offers the lowest house edge and provides players with a higher chance of winning.
Another way that mixes up the games is the software provider that you choose. Many different companies have made their own version of the game that you can check out for yourself.
Playtech French Roulette Overview
Playtech is one of the industry leading software providers that you should look out for when selecting games at an online casino. They offer all the variants of French roulette, so you can pick the ones that is the best fit for your gambling style.
However, the French variant has been recreated with a lot of accuracy by Playtech. The look and feel of the game is very similar to that of what you can find at a brick and mortar location. It’s perfect for long time roulette fans that are playing the variant online for the very first time.
The software also makes bet announcements so that you are able to hear what bets have been placed and the ones that are winners. It adds to the immersion and authenticity of the experience. It is also convenient because you don’t have to view the information since it is conveyed via audio.
However, one of the drawbacks is that the stake amounts are between 0.5 and 300. The high stakes players might want higher limits but that is not possible here. On the plus side is the amazing customer service team that will always answer questions when you need help.
Play’n Go French Roulette Overview
One of the first big software providers around is Play’n Go. They have a reputation for offering premium games that enable you to enjoy the action with high quality graphics. Also, the experience is clutter-free so that you don’t have to be stuck in menu systems that you cannot understand.
The betting range with this offering is 1 to 1,000. Therefore low level and high level players are accommodated. You can start with smaller stakes and increase your way up based on the strategy that you are trying to execute.
You can also place call bets here, which is not always the case with online casinos. You can use the racetrack that’s above the normal betting boards to make fast wagers to get in the action. Also, you can bet again and get rid of the chips on the betting board with the clear button.
Microgaming French Roulette Overview
Microgaming is known for the quality of their graphics and they do not disappoint here. The French roulette version looks premium and it will keep you engaged in the actions for multiple hours. The attention to detail shows that they have spent time upgrading this product.
You are able to make call bets so this specific game is one of the more popular ones out of the roulette bunch. Also, there is a La Partage rule in effect that goes a long way to decrease the house edge.
You are also able to view the betting history as the rounds go by. It enables you to see statistics of where you are making losing and winning bets. It’s perfect for players that want to improve their betting strategy and enjoy the game in a more detailed manner.