Most modern roulette wheels are either European or American, where the biggest difference is if they have a 00 pocket or not. Then there is the French roulette table, said to be the original version of the game that hit the nation’s casinos in the late 1700s.
It may be very similar to European roulette, but there are meaningful differences between the two.
Let’s find what they are right away.
French Roulette Gameplay
The core gameplay of roulette is unchanged in its french version. You’ll get a playing round where players put their chips down onto the table, or use a digital interface if they’re playing online. Then the playing time is called off, no more coins are put down, and everybody stops to watch the wheel spin.
A ball is released into the wheel and will settle in one of the pockets. Depending on your chosen play, you’ll either win or lose. Those plays are consistent with other types of roulette – you can take inside plays with lower chances but large rewards or outside plays with higher chances but smaller rewards.
The French Roulette Wheel
Like the European version, the French roulette wheel uses a single 0 pocket. There is no double zero (00). This results in 37 pockets – the 0 and then numbers 1-36.
As a result, the French wheel uses the exact same number arrangement as European wheels – the French did it first. That number arrangement on the wheel is also important for some of French roulette’s unique plays, explained further below.
French Roulette vs European Roulette
While similar, there are differences between French and European roulette.
Tables that want to create an authentic experience will use the French names for its play options. Even-chance plays like high/low or even/odd change to become “passe/manque” and “pair/impair” instead. If you’re playing French roulette online, then some of these terms may be auto-translated for user convenience.
More significantly, extra rules like La Partage and En Prison apply to French roulette if the ball lands at 0. The La Partage rule – “to share” – will give you half your coin placement back if you lose to a 0 pocket. This rule further trims the house edge for French roulette, making it the best of the three mainstream roulette variants.
Tables with the En Prison rule give you a choice. Players in the same situation can claim half of their coins or put them forward for another spin. That way, you get another chance at winning. If you’re still unsure of what kind of roulette you want to play, check out our detailed guide to roulette wheels.
Additional French Roulette Plays
The French roulette wheel is also responsible for giving us other play options that have kept their distinct French names to this day. We refer to these as called or announced plays, and they are as follows:
- Jeu zero: 0 and the six numbers surrounding it (12, 35, 3, 26, 32, and 15).
- Voisins du Zéro: The neighbors of zero – all numbers between 22 and 25.
- Tiers du Cylindre: A third of the wheel not covered by voisins, from 27 to 33.
- Orphelins: The eight numbers not covered by voisins or tiers du cylindre (17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9).
If you hadn’t noticed yet, these plays involve placing coins on number groups based on their position on the wheel, instead of the numbers grid on the roulette table.
You’ll only find these plays with French and European roulette, not the American roulette version. That said, nothing stops a player from placing their coins manually to mimic an announced play.
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