French Roulette Online
The word ‘roulette’ itself is French for ‘little wheel’ so it makes sense that there is a French variant of this game. In fact, this is the oldest version of the game and gained popularity during the French Revolution. The game is attributed to a French scientist called Blaise Pascal and didn’t have the 0 slot until 1842. Though you don’t often see this variant in brick-and-mortar casinos, head to Monte Carlo, and it’s played in abundance. This article will tell you everything you need to know about French Roulette Online.
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What is French Roulette?
With a single zero and additional rules, French roulette online has the best player odds and the lowest house edge. The game’s aim is straightforward: choose a number where you think the ball will land. In total, there are 37 pockets – numbers 1-36 in red and black, and the 0 pocket in green. It can be difficult to guess where the ball will land, of course, so there are lots of other types of bets with better odds of winning.
When you’re playing French roulette, you first need to choose a bet amount and put it in the appropriate place on the table to place your bet. In an online game, this is simply a case of selecting or dragging and dropping, but in a physical game, you’d actually have chips to put down. With bets placed, you can spin the wheel (a croupier does this in a physical casino). When the ball comes to rest, you’ll be told whether or not you’ve won and how much. The benefit of online casino French roulette is that you can choose when to spin and so can take your time choosing your bets. This won’t happen with a live-dealer version, however, as there will still be a real croupier spinning a real wheel.
Unique French Roulette bets
If you choose to play French roulette, you’ll likely encounter some new terminology. Here are some frequent words you’ll see and hear:
- Pair/impair = even/odd
- Manque/pass = low (1-18)/high (19-36)
Besides the terminology, there are other bets that are only played in French roulette:
- Voisins du zéro (neighbors of zero) – this refers to the numbers adjacent to the 0 on the wheel. There are 17 numbers covered in the bet, including 0. These are the seven numbers to the right of the zero and the nine numbers to the left.
- Tiers du cylindre – this refers to the 12 numbers that are opposite 0 and those in the voisins du zero bet.
- Orphelins (orphans) – this bet includes the 8 numbers that aren’t involved in the voisins du zero or the tiers due cylindre bets.
- Finales en plein – this is when you bet on the final digit of a number, for example: 4, 14, 24, 34
- Finales a cheval (ends astride) – this is when you bet on two final digits, for example: 2, 3, 12, 13, 22, 23, 32, 33.
Playing French Roulette Online
You can play French roulette online in different ways. The majority of people choose to play with real money bets, but lots also play for free.
Free
When you haven’t played French roulette before, it’s a good idea to see how the game and its different terminology and betting works by trying out a demo game for free. This means you can learn everything you need to know before you’re playing with your hard-earned cash.
Playing free French roulette is also a good idea if you’re trying a new version of the game that’s by a different software provider. Though the rules won’t change, the layout and the steps taken might be different so it’s good to familiarize yourself with each version first.
Playing French roulette online for free also means you can enjoy the game when you’re short on cash or simply when you don’t want to spend real money. After all, can’t lose if you don’t play with cash.
There are lots of free games available by different software developers. Here is a selection:
- NetEnt – Netent online casino games provides free French roulette game, which is available at multiple sites.
- Playtech – a nice game with simple graphics
- Play’n GO – available in many online casinos
- Habanero – a popular version
- Bgaming – good controls
Real Money
As you might expect, lots of people play real money online roulette. In physical casinos, free games are not possible. What’s more, the thrill is in the win.
Real money French roulette attracts lots of players because of its low house edge. It’s great for any player whether high roller or otherwise.
Unlike a real casino or a live dealer game, online versions of French roulette are managed with a random number generator (RNG). This means the outcome of each spin is completely random and cannot be fixed.
Mobile
When talking about online French roulette, it’s important to mention mobile play. In the last decade or so more and more people use their mobiles for gaming, and this includes going on casino sites and apps. This interest in hand-held mobile casinos was exacerbated by the pandemic in 2020 and beyond when people who’d previously frequented brick-and-mortar casinos were forced to find other means to get their real money betting fix.
Some mobile casinos have apps, and some don’t. Even if your preferred site doesn’t have a mobile app, the likelihood is that it has been created with HTML5 technology and so the site will automatically adjust on your mobile browser for whichever device you’re using. The games will be instant play with no download needed.
French roulette is played in the same way, no matter whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.
The most wonderful thing about mobile casinos is that you can play wherever and whenever you want (provided you have access to the internet). So, if you want to play on the bus to work or from your bed last thing at night, there’s nothing stopping you.
Live
Live online casinos are the next best thing to a brick-and-mortar casino. You get the real class of a live croupier mixed with a game whose pace is decided by someone else. You’ll have to make your bets in time as you won’t be in charge of the wheel spin. A live roulette casino is live streamed from a studio to your device. You can communicate with the dealer as well as the other players, which adds a social element to your betting experience.
What’s unique about French roulette odds and payout?
Unlike American roulette, French only has a 0 pocket and no 00. This means that the house edge of French roulette is lower compared. Though French and European roulette has the same wheel and table, French roulette has the lowest house edge (1.35%) because of its extra rules of la partage and en prison.
La partage means ‘sharing.’ If your ball lands on the 0 pocket and you’ve made an even money bet (pair), half of your stake is returned.
En prison means ‘in prison’, and this rule means that if the ball lands in the 0 pocket, any even money bet will remain for the next spin, essentially giving you a free bet for the next spin of the wheel.
Here are the different bet types for French roulette and their odds and payouts:
- Straight bet (single number) – 2.7% odds – 35:1 payout
- Split bet (two numbers) – 5.4% odds – 17:1 payout
- Street bet (three numbers) – 8.1% odds – 11:1 payout
- Trio (0,1,2/0,2,3) – 8.1% odds – 8:1 payout
- Square/Corner bet (four numbers) – 10.8% odds – 8:1 payout
- Six line – 16.2% – 5:1 payout
- Column – 32.4% odds – 2:1 payout
- Dozen – 32.4% odds – 2:1 payout
- Red/Black – 48.6% odds – 1:1 payout
- Pair/Impair (Even/Odd) – 48.6% odds – 1:1 payout
- Manque/Passe (Low/High) – 48.6% odds – 1:1 payout
Bet name | Winning spaces | Odds against winning (French) |
Straight | One chosen number | 2.7% |
Split | Two chosen numbers | 5.4% |
Trio | 0,1,2 / 0, 2, 3 | 8.1% |
Street | Three chosen numbers | 8.1% |
Corner/Square | Four chosen numbers | 10.8% |
Six line | Consecutive numbers in two rows | 16.2% |
Column | Any in the first column Any in the second column Any in the third column | 32.43% |
Dozen | Any in the first dozen (1-12) Any in the second dozen (13-24) Any in the third dozen (25-36) | 32.43% |
Red/Black | Chosen color | 48.6% |
Pair/Impair (Even/Odd) | Any even number Any odd number | 48.6% |
Manque/Passe (Low/High) | Any low number (1-18) Any high number (19-36) | 48.6% |
French roulette strategy and tips
If you look online, you’ll see a range of French roulette strategies. You’ll often hear people talking about cold numbers and hot numbers. Game screens even have these listed too. A cold number is a number that hasn’t been landed on in a while. The thinking goes that its turn to land must come up soon and so people choose to bet on those numbers. Conversely, a hot number is one that keeps cropping up. People consider these to be lucky numbers and might then place a bet on them.
The reality is that every spin is independent in its right. Probability doesn’t work with hot and cold numbers. The result of one spin won’t have any bearing on the next. The truth is, if any of these strategies worked, players would have figured it out long ago and there’d be no casinos offering this game as they’d soon run out of money.
Strategies aside, here are some useful tips to make the most out of the games:
- Try to understand the French roulette terminology and additional rules.
- Check whether both la partage and en prison rules apply.
- Use free versions to practice.
- Take frequent breaks to avoid losing perspective.
Other Popular Online Roulette Types
French roulette is very similar to European roulette. The only differences are that there is no French terminology, and you don’t have the en prison and la partage rules.
American roulette has the most differences when compared to French roulette. This is because it has a 00 pocket, which increases the house edge and makes your odds of winning lower.
Final Thoughts
French roulette is a classic variant and as the game is of French origin, it’s quite nice to give it a go. With its sole zero, you’ve got a better chance of winning compared to the American variant, and with the additional la partage and en prison rules, the house edge is the lowest of all variants. Though playing for free is possible, you might need to be logged into an online casino to be able to access the games. Bonne chance!
FAQs
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1️⃣ Can you play French roulette for free?
- Yes. Lots of online casinos have French roulette in demo mode. This means you can familiarize yourself with the game and work out which strategies you’re going to use. It’s also possible to play the games for fun. You can’t lose any money this way, but you also won’t win any too.
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2️⃣ Which places offer real money French roulette online?
- All online casinos that offer French roulette games will allow you to play for real money. After all, that’s how they make the money themselves! If you really want to play French roulette, make sure you check out whether your chosen site offers it before you sign up and make a deposit.
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3️⃣ Are there any French roulette strategies to try?
- Yes. Lots of players swear by the hot numbers and cold numbers strategies and bet on numbers that keep coming up or numbers that haven’t shown up for ages. No strategies are guaranteed, however.