Roulette is a popular casino game, and there are several variations of the game. French roulette is one of those versions, and is one of the most played type. French roulette is essentially a deviated variant of European roulette, or the other way around. The main difference between the two resides in the visuals. But French roulette is not just about the imagery. There are quite a few other differentiating factors to the game as well.
French Connection
Roulette was born in France, which is why no one does roulette as good as the French. Generally, a French casino offers an experience that’s in stark contrast to what one would go through in other parts of the world, especially America. For instance, you walk into a French casino and would notice more roulette tables and lesser number of slot machines.
As aforementioned, there are different kinds of roulette – but American roulette, European roulette, and French roulette are the three major variants. French roulette, in fact, forms the base for the other two and several other less popular roulette types. French roulette and European roulette are two formats that players, especially amateur gamblers, refer to interchangeably. France is located in Europe, which explains this misinterpretation time and again.
French Roulette Rules
The player’s goal in French roulette is to predict which numbered pocket the ball would settle on. To start the game, every player playing must bet on a specific number or number group. The maximum and minimum limit rules differ across tables, which the player should comply to. The rules are noted on each table’s edge. Once the ball stalls on a specific pocket, the dealer declares the winning figure. The players who’ve made the correct guess win the money.
Besides what European roulette has to offer, French roulette has a couple of extra rules. These rules pertain to the zero pocket and supposedly benefit the gambler. In other words, the French roulette table provides the player an additional opportunity to keep the bet even when the ball has landed on zero. The following are the two options:
• En Prison Rule
This rule is essentially an opportunity to recover stakes post a zero spin. This means a player can bet again on the wager. However, if the spin wins, the player only gets the original bet. There’s no additional bet for grabs. In reality, this means the player has lost half his bet and should now strike with the next spin to recover the original bet. In case the player doesn’t win with the second spin, he loses all the money bet.
• La Partage
La Partage is an automatic option on several French roulette tables. The rule comes into play when the ball ends up on zero, and the even-money bets get instantly divided by two to return half of the first wager. This decreases house edge relating to all even-money wagers to only 1.35 percent.
Generally, people find the La Partage rule simpler and beneficial. A few casinos further complicate the En Prison rule adding another rule called “second spin zero”. This means if a zero spin is followed by another zero spin, the bet could be won, lost, or left for extra spins.
Wheel Colour and Layout
The French roulette wheel comprises 37 numbered pockets. Unlike other roulette tables, the table layout in French roulette has all the numbers painted in red. Red/black bets are still there since the wheel has half the pocket numbers hued in black. The zero digit pocket is green in colour. This colour combination gives the table an elegant and striking appearance. The table’s layout also typically comprises “French bets”, which are wagers made to cover parts of the wheel.
The French roulette wheel layout is similar to European roulette, but unlike American roulette. On an American roulette table, two consecutive digits are located opposite to each other. The digits on the French roulette wheel point toward the wheel’s outside edge; the numbers point to the centre on the American version.
Popularity
One of the major reasons French roulette is popular is it is most profitable to the player. Compared to European roulette and other roulette versions, the house edge is lower in French roulette online. In other words, the casino makes way less profit with French roulette than with European or American roulette. In the American version of roulette, there are a couple of zero pockets. This pushes house edge to 5.26 percent. As far as French roulette house edge goes, the number comes down to 2.70 percent since there is only one zero pocket.