A Basic Guide to French Roulette

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Roulette is among the most popular table games at all casinos, both traditional and virtual. It has been a crucial part of the gambling industry for ages. As it turns out, roulette dates back to the 17th century. The famous mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal, originated this casino game. He accidentally developed a roulette wheel while trying to design a perpetual-motion machine. His invention has obviously had a great impact on the gambling world, changing it forever. Nowadays, roulette tables are available at every land-based casino, and all gambling websites feature online roulette.

Since its first appearance, roulette has consistently gained popularity. Given the circumstances, it comes as no surprise that multiple versions of roulette have been developed over the years. Today, the version that we are interested in is French roulette, one of three versions of the game (the remaining two are European and American). We will go through the course of the game and compare and contrast it with the other two versions. Assuming that you are already familiar with the basics, we will get straight to it!

French Roulette and Other Variations: What Is the Difference?

As we have already stated, there are three versions of roulette. All of them are popular, and all of them are available across brick-and-mortar casinos, as well as in the virtual gambling world. Because they have similar rules (given they all have the same basis), they are all essentially the same game. Notwithstanding, there are some characteristics that distinguish them, mostly in terms of the layout. If you are eager to engage in playing roulette for real money, you must first familiarize yourself with each.

The most important difference is the number of possibilities on the European and French roulette wheel as opposed to the American one. The first two versions feature a single zero wheel, whereas the latter has one extra possibility, as its wheel has a double zero pocket, as well. Subsequently, the house edge of American roulette is significantly higher in comparison to the house edge of European and French roulette. Therefore, the latter two provide you with better chances of winning.

Additionally, European and French roulette games feature a rule known as the “en prison” rule. Essentially, this is a variation of the “la partage” rule. The “la partage” rule states that if the ball lands on a zero, the player whose bet was even/odd, high/low or red/black, retrieves one half of his/her wager.

“En prison” enables you to reduce the house advantage, which is precisely the reason why European roulette is more profitable in comparison to American roulette. You can retrieve your entire wager after a spin of zero, provided that the following outcome is a winning one.

Types of Bets in Roulette

Whichever version of roulette you play, your goal is the same – to predict in which pocket the ball will land and place your wager on the relevant number or color. However, there are certain types of bets with which you must be familiar before it comes to placing a wager.

First of all, there is a distinction between inside and outside betting options. Inside bets are the ones you place by spreading your chips across multiple betting areas. Outside bets, however, need to be placed in one area only. Inside bets may offer smaller payouts, but they provide you with better odds in comparison to outside bets.

Specialty bets, commonly referred to as “French” or “called bets,” are characteristic of European roulette. Betting this way requires you to place your chips in specific sections on the roulette table. These bets are divided into the following categories – Voisins du Zero, Orphelins and Tiers du Cylindre.

French Roulette Strategy

Roulette, regardless of the version, is not only a game of chance, but also a game of strategy. Therefore, you need to develop one in order to increase your odds of winning. Although there is no method of figuring out in which pocket the ball will land, there are some tricks you can apply to your game.

We advise you to keep your chips in the outside portion of the roulette table. This means placing your wagers on either red/black or odd/even. Such bets give you close to 50:50 odds, which is why they are perfect for beginners.

Another trick of which you can take advantage is based on the Martingale strategy. The name may sound complicated, but this strategy is actually rather simple and easily comprehensible. In case you decide to apply this strategy, you need to double up your wager after you lose. In short, the bet you place following the one you have lost needs to be twice as big and placed on the same color or number. If you manage to win using this strategy, you need to go back to your original wager. However, be careful not to go overboard. This strategy may land you big winnings, but you should only apply it if you can afford to lose multiple bets. We have already mentioned that, ultimately, you don’t know in which pocket the ball will land, so there is no guarantee that the Martingale strategy will even work. So keep that mind.

Let the Wheel Spin

Once you master the basic rules of roulette and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of a particular strategy, we advise you to practice before you start playing for real money. Fortunately, there are vast numbers of legitimate online casinos that offer the possibility of trying a game for free.