How to Play French Roulette: Rules, Bets and Odds

French Roulette (Ruleta Francesa) is not as widely available as European and American Roulette. Hence, it often seems to be in the shadow of the popular options. However, mathematically, it is the best variant to play. You can accumulate winnings without losing much money over time thanks to its high winning odds and unique rules (En Prison and La Partage).

To enjoy its perks, this article explains how to play French Roulette, discussing its rules, odds, bets, and winning strategy.

French Roulette Meaning, Wheel Design, and Table Layout

French Roulette is a single-zero (0) roulette game variant with French-designated betting areas and mutually exclusive La Partage and En Prison rules. We will discuss these rules in another section.

The French Roulette wheel is similar to the modern American roulette wheel, but with noticeable differences. It has 37 pockets, with a single 0, unlike American wheels, which have both a single 0 and a double 0 (00). As a result, French Roulette offers a reduced house edge of 2.70%, which further lowers to 1.35% on even-money bets under the La Partage rule.

Furthermore, the French Roulette table layout differs slightly. American and European Roulette tables have their outside bets on one side of the table, usually on the left. Conversely, outside bets are split into two on both sides of the French Roulette table.

Bet Types and Special Rules

The objective in French Roulette is to correctly predict the numbered/colored pocket on which the tiny ball will land when the spinning wheel comes to a stop. The decision whether to win or lose based on the outcome of a spin depends on the type of wager placed.

The available wagers in French Roulette are grouped into inside, outside, and announced bets. Due to the multiple bets available, there are often two to three croupiers managing the table.

Inside Bets (Paris Intérieurs)

These are wagers placed directly on a small group of numbers, a single number, or adjacent numbers located on the inner section of the French Roulette table layout. They offer high payouts but with low winning odds. They include:

En Plein (Straight Up bet): A wager on a single, specific number. You can choose from 0 to 36 and place your chip directly on your chosen number’s spot. It pays 35:1.

À Cheval (Split bet): A wager on two numbers positioned adjacent on the table. You place the chip on the line separating the two numbers. It pays 17:1.

Transversale Pleine (Street bet): A wager on three sequential numbers which are often positioned horizontally on the table (e.g., 1, 2, 3). You place the chip on the outer edge of your selected three row numbers. It pays 11:1.

Carré (Corner bet): A wager on a block of four numbers that forms a square or meets at a corner, e.g., 16, 17, 19, 20. You position your chips on the intersection. It pays 8:1.

Sixainne (Six-Line bet): A wager on two adjacent "streets", which is a total of six numbers.
It pays 5:1.

Outside Bets (Paris Extérieurs)

These are wagers placed in the outer section of the table layout, covering large groups of numbers/colors. They offer the best odds of winning, but you have to bear lower payouts.

They include:

Even Money Bets:

Rouge / Noir (Red / Black): Wager on the ball landing on a red or black colored pocket.
Pair / Impair (Even / Odd): Wager on whether the number on which the ball will land is even or odd.
Manque (Low): Betting on numbers 1 to 18.
Passe (High): Betting on numbers 19 to 36.

All of these bets offer even money payouts (1:1)

Colonnes (Columns): A wager on one of the three table’s vertical columns of 12 numbers.

Douzaines (Dozens): Wagering on a set of 12 numbers:

Première (P12): 1–12
Moyenne (M12): 13–24
Dernière (D12): 25–36

The Dozens and the Columns bets offer two to one payouts (2:1)

Announced (Racetrack) Bets

Announced Bets in French Roulette are special wagers. New players are often advised to steer clear of these bets. But as you acquire more gameplay experience, you can place them. They include:

Voisins du Zéro (Neighbors of Zero): A wager of nine chips covering numbers between 22 and 25 on the wheel. Two chips each numbered 0/2/3 and 25/26/28/29, then one chip each on the numbers 32/35, 19/22, 18/21, 12/15, and 4/7.

Le Tiers du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel): A wager of six chips on numbers between 27 and 33 opposite the single zero on the wheel. One standard chip each 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30 and 32/36.

Orphelins (orphans): This wager takes two forms. Orphelins en plein, which is a wager on the eight numbers not covered by the above bets: 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31, and 34. Or Orphelins en cheval, which is a five-chip wager on four splits and a straight bet on 1.

Jeu Zéro (Zero Game): A wager of 4 chips on six numbers closest (2, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, and 15) to the single zero, including the 0. This wager is placed as three splits and a straight bet on 26.

Finales: A wager on all numbers ending in a specific digit, either as a series of straight bets (finales en plein), e.g., 5, 15, 25, and 35, or a combination of split bets (finales a cheval), e.g., 3/5, 13/15, 23/25, and 33/35.

The Even Money Bets Advantage: La Partage and En Prison Rules

In the American or European Roulette, if the ball falls in the zero pocket, and you placed even-money bets, such as odd/even or red/black, you lose your wager. However, in French Roulette, you don't lose automatically. You get another chance to save your bankroll using the La Partage rules.

La Partage rule: A loss on an even-money bet results in a 50:50 split of your wager. Therefore, you only lose half of your betting amount.

En Prison rule: An even-money bet remains in place on the betting table, i.e., “imprisoned” even after a loss until the next spin. If the spin outcome is a win, your stake will be returned to you.

These rules reduce the French Roulette house edge from 2.7% for European roulette and 5.26% for American roulette to 1.35%.

However, these two rules apply only to even-money bets. Some tables offer just the La Partage rule, which is great for players. Other tables offer both the La Partage and En Prison rule, which brings the house edge back up to 2.7%. But you won’t be able to find any tables with just the En Prison rule, as you need the La Partage rule in order for the En Prison rule to exist.