French roulette is considered by many historians to be the original version of the game, with its European and American variants developing from it. It was primarily played in France and the UK, where casinos found the French version more advantageous than the European variant, helping it to remain popular over the years.
For players, distinguishing between French and European roulette can be tricky because they share many similarities. Both have a house edge of 2.703%, meaning the wheel’s number of pockets is the same, unlike American roulette. However, this doesn’t imply that players have the same winning odds in both versions.
The key distinction is in the layout of the French table. The table boxes, which align with the wheel’s pockets, are all in red. Additionally, the French table uses French words and numbers, whereas the European version is in English. Fortunately, most resources provide translations, so language differences shouldn’t pose much difficulty.
French roulette offers unique benefits, such as the La Partage rule. This rule allows players to use an even money bet. If the ball lands on zero, players receive half of their bet back. This reduces the house edge to 1.35%, the lowest in any roulette game.
Another feature of French roulette is the En Prison rule, which translates to “in jail.” It allows players to safeguard their bets if they lose. Instead of immediately losing the money, they can place it “in jail” for another spin. If the second spin fails, the bet is lost, and the game continues. This rule significantly lowers the house edge, giving players a second chance to win after an initial loss.
