How To Play French Roulette

When it comes to Live Roulette, many popular variations are on offer within a live casino, and one of those is French Roulette. Although the game is quite similar to European Roulette, there are still some differences. Before taking a seat at a French roulette table, take a look at our how-to-play guide.

French Roulette Table Layout

When looking at the roulette table, players will see that the table will look very similar to a European roulette table. One main difference is that the French roulette table will have the bet name written in French, but they will still be exactly the same as those in European roulette, they’ll just translate across.

The wheel will still have 37 pockets with just one zero unlike american roulette and they will be coloured the same as European roulette, red, black and one green pocket.

What else makes French Roulette different?

In addition to the language on the roulette table, the other differences with French roulette are the additional quirks such as La Partage and En Prison. So, let's get a basic explanation of those extra elements before placing a bet.

En Prison The literal translation of this element is in prison. It means that within the game, you are in prison if the ball lands in a zero pocket, and it means a losing bet; you will be given the chance to have half your stake back, or you can wait until the next round.

La Partage This element is similar to En Prison, except in this feature, players are not given the option to let their stake play on the table. This literally translates to sharing which means half the losing stake is returned to players.

French Roulette Bets

As the home of roulette and other casino games, many bettors believe that French roulette is the optimal version of the game. While it bears many similarities with European roulette, the only difference in American roulette is the double zero and singular zero, which distort the odds slightly in favour of the house.

What Are Inside Bets?

The best way to remember how roulette bets work is to portion them into manageable sections. Roulette inside bets cover a range of specific betting options, all revolving around different types of individual numbers or groups of numbers.

Inside Betting Options

Straight Bet

Few casino games offer such a high return from one specific bet. A straight bet is a colloquial term for those bettors who bet on individual numbers. There are no roulette bets with a higher return than a straight bet, which is 35/1.

Street Bet

Few players will relentlessly pursue straight bets as it can send you on the expressway to blow your budget. A street bet is an inside bet that includes the numbers on that line, covering the number in the first column (1,4,7, etc) and its two sequential neighbours. The zero means that the odds of a street bet are close to 11/1. Other than a straight or split bet, which we'll cover shortly, the street is the highest-paying bet.

Corner Bet

As we move down the probability chart, a corner bet is when the bettor places their chip at the intersection of four numbers on the table. The best way to remember a corner bet is that it must include four numbers. Corner bets offer odds of close to 8/1.

Top Line Bet

A top line bet is a trio bet in French roulette. It conjoins the trifecta of betting options that share a border with zero. You can place two trio bets in French roulette — either the combination of zero, one and two or zero, two and three. A trio bet offers the same returns as a street bet at close to 11/1.

Split Bet

If a straight bet is a bit too much of a leap, a split bet might be more of your flavour. A split bet is any two numbers that join together on the table. For instance, if you placed your chip on the line that separates the numbers one and two, this would be a split bet that covers both numbers and returns odds of 17/1.

Six Line Bet

Despite what the name suggests, a six line bet actually covers two rows on the table. If you're looking at a bird's eye view of the table, there are three columns and 12 lines, and a six line bet covers any two lines that neighbour each other. This bet offers odds that are close to 5/1.

What Are Outside Bets?

Now that we've covered inside bets, let's see what roulette outside bets you can place on French roulette. Outside bets like red/black and odd/even are popular, but you can place several other bets too.

Outside Betting Options

Odd/Even

Since the numbers on the table stretch from one to 36, dividing the table down the middle is often the simplest way to place a bet. Of the several outside bets that incorporate this, having a selection of odd and even is exactly what you would expect. With 18 of each to select, it is only the presence of the sole zero that stops the odds from being straight evens.

Red/Black

If you're a fan of outside bets but want to explore options that don't deal with the mathematics, the red and black sections of the table will allow you to place a bet with the same odds as odd/even but with a twist. The black numbers on the table are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33 and 35, and the numbers that fill in the gaps are all red. The odds for this bet are close to 1/1.

High/Low

The third of the roulette outside bets covered today is the high/low; this simply covers the first set of 18 numbers or the second set of 18 numbers. Each of these outside bets takes up its own section that sits directly beneath the main number grid, clearly sectioned and easy to follow. The odds for this bet are close to 1/1.

Column Bet

A column bet encompasses the three pillars of the table. So, the first column is 1,4,7,10, etc., and the second begins with 2,5,8,11. Unlike the other outside bets we have touched on, a column bet has a slightly better payout at close to 2/1.

Dozens Bet

Column and dozens wagers are two types of roulette outside bets with the same probability. Offering slightly higher odds than odds/evens or red/black, a dozen bet covers the opening 12, the middle dozen or the last third of the table. This bet has a payout of close to 2/1.

French Roulette Special Bets

Call bets are specific groups of sections on the table; they're primarily available in French roulette, and there is a variety that bettors use to try and land a successful section of the wheel. Due to French roulette's nature and popularity, many call bet terms are translated from the native tongue.

Call Betting Options

Neighbours of Zero

Also known as Voisins du Zero, Neighbours of Zero covers an incredible 17 numbers on the table. The complete list of numbers covered in this bet includes: 0, 2, 3, 21, 25, 22, 4, 12, 7, 29, 19, 15, 35, 32, 26, 18 and 28. The payout for this bet can be as high as 24/1.

Orphans

Orphelins comprise a section on the table of eight numbers. From the right side of the wheel, the numbers are 6, 17 and 34, and from the left side, they are 9, 31, 14, 20 and 1. An Orphans bet covers all these numbers. Based on the winning number the payout can be either 35/1 or 17/1.

Finales

A finales bet refers to the final digit of your selection. A 5 finales bet would be a bet on four numbers, including five, 15, 25 and 35. It is one of the more straightforward call betting options to remember.

Zero Game

Another cluster bet which focuses on the wheel's geography, a zero game is basically the numbers directly neighbouring 0 (26 and 32) or one further, encompassing five numbers, including three and 15.

Thirds of the Wheel

Also referred to as Tier du Cylindre, the Thirds of the Wheel bet includes the 12 numbers between 27 and 33 as they lie on the wheel, including those two numbers. This bet has a payout of 17/1.