French roulette rules and odds

What French roulette is

French roulette is the single-zero game with its classic French rules intact, and it differs from European roulette in two ways. The first is cosmetic: the table layout traditionally uses French names for the bets. The second matters for your money: French tables apply a zero rule to even-money bets, so zero no longer takes the whole stake.

The Wizard of Odds online roulette page (opens in a new tab) describes French roulette as similar to European but with La Partage and En Prison, which lower the house edge on even-money bets. The wheel itself is identical: 37 pockets, one green zero, the same number order and the same payouts. Our roulette hub sets French roulette alongside the other versions.

French roulette zero rules: La Partage and En Prison

Both rules apply only to even-money bets and only when the ball lands on zero.

• La Partage. Half the stake is returned straight away and the other half is lost. The edge on even-money bets falls from 2.70% to about 1.35%.
• En Prison. The whole stake is held for the next spin. If that spin wins for you, the stake comes back without winnings; if it loses, the house keeps it. Wizard of Odds puts the edge at about 1.39% with single imprisonment and 1.37% if the bet can be imprisoned again.

Which rule a table uses is a casino and game decision. Evolution's live roulette range (opens in a new tab) lists French Roulette with La Partage, so on that table a losing even-money bet on zero gives up only half the stake. Evolution's Auto Roulette is also available in a French version. For any table, the help screen is the final word.

French roulette table layout and terms

A French layout uses the traditional names for each bet. Online versions often show both French and English labels, but it helps to know what the words mean before you place a chip.

The P12, M12 and D12 dozen labels stand for premier, moyen and dernier: first, middle and last. Because the payouts are the standard ones, our roulette table layout guide applies here too; only the labels change.

French roulette odds and house edge by bet

The zero rule creates a two-tier price list. Even-money bets get the discount; everything else is priced exactly as on a European table.

The 1.35% figure is simple arithmetic. Over 37 spins a 1-unit even-money bet wins 18, loses 18 and loses half a unit on zero, a net −0.5 out of 37 units staked. Wizard of Odds' exact figure is −1.351351%. The Wizard of Odds roulette basics page (opens in a new tab) sets out the full calculation, and our roulette house edge page compares every bet across the versions.

What a mixed set of bets really costs on a French table

Most players do not stick to one bet. Because the discount applies only to even-money bets, the average edge across a mix depends on how much of your stake goes on them. The worked examples below use £10 a spin in total.

So a French table only beats a European one for the part of your stake that sits on even-money boxes. If you prefer inside bets or racetrack sectors, the two games cost exactly the same. These are long-run averages; a single evening can turn out very differently.

How to play French roulette online

1. Find a table labelled French roulette and confirm it shows a single green zero.
2. Open the rules screen and look for La Partage or En Prison in the section on zero; note how a second zero is treated if it is En Prison.
3. Choose your chip value and place bets on the grid, the even-money boxes or the racetrack.
4. Confirm the total before betting closes; UK online roulette has no autoplay, and each game cycle takes at least 5 seconds.
5. When zero lands, check that half of each even-money stake is returned (La Partage) or held for the next spin (En Prison).

French call bets on the racetrack

French tables are the home of the announced bets that back slices of the wheel. On a racetrack you can place voisins du zéro (17 numbers with 9 chips), tiers du cylindre (12 numbers with 6 chips), orphelins (8 numbers with 5 chips) and jeu zéro (7 numbers with 4 chips). Because they are built from splits, corners, streets and straight-ups, none of them benefits from La Partage; each keeps the 2.70% edge. Our call bets guide explains the chip placements.

French roulette history: from Paris to Monte Carlo

Roulette first appeared in 18th-century France; a 1796 novel describes a wheel at the Palais Royal in Paris. A popular story credits Blaise Pascal with inventing an early form while trying to build a perpetual motion machine, but historians treat that as a claim rather than an established fact.

The single-zero wheel that French roulette uses was introduced at Bad Homburg in 1843 by François and Louis Blanc, according to the Wikipedia roulette article (opens in a new tab). François Blanc (opens in a new tab), nicknamed "The Magician of Monte Carlo", took over Monaco's casino business in 1863, and the single-zero game became Monte Carlo's premier table. A local legend says he bargained with the devil for roulette's secrets, a tale tied to the fact that the numbers 0 to 36 add up to 666. Our pages on the history of roulette and Monte Carlo tell the fuller story.

French roulette myths

• "French roulette has better odds on every bet." Only even-money bets get the lower edge.
• "French names mean French rules." Labels are presentation; the zero rule is set in the game's rules.
• "With 1.35% I can grind out a profit." A lower edge still means losses are likely over many spins. No staking plan changes that, as our page on roulette betting systems explains.
• "Zero has not come up for a while, so La Partage is due to save me." Every spin is independent; see the gambler's fallacy.

Is French roulette the best roulette for UK players?

French roulette is the natural choice if you mostly bet on colours, odd or even, or high or low: it halves the average cost of those bets compared with European roulette and costs about a quarter of what an American roulette table would. If you mainly bet on numbers, it makes no difference which single-zero table you pick. The European vs French roulette comparison puts the two side by side.

Where to play French roulette in the UK

French tables sit in the roulette or live casino lobby at UK-licensed casinos. We do not state which partners carry a French roulette table, so check the casino's game lobby and confirm the zero rule in the game's help screen.

The welcome offers shown here are for slots or carry game restrictions, rather than being roulette deals. 18+, terms apply. Casumo: opt in for a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20; wager the bonus 10x within 7 days, with a £5 maximum bet and game, play and payment restrictions. 10bet: pick the casino welcome bonus and deposit within 7 days for a 100% match up to £25, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, maximum bonus winnings £1,000, Skrill and Neteller excluded. Coral: between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027, deposit and bet £10 or more on slots for 100 free spins at 10p on selected games, with 48 hours to accept, 7 days to use and no wagering on winnings; some payment methods do not qualify. Roulette is often excluded from bonus wagering or counts for less, so check each casino's terms first.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.