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French Roulette vs European Roulette: What’s the Difference?

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Roulette is one of the games that are pretty much synonymous with the word casino. It is one of the first things that comes to mind, alongside poker, and slots. However, it is much simpler than poker, which provides good fun, and it is far more exciting than slots, which basically only need you to put in the money and pull a lever or press the button.

Roulette brings the excitement as the ball spins in the rotating wheel, and that moment before it chooses a pocket to land into is exciting to the point of addiction. The best thing is that it’s not only exciting for the player, but also for anyone who is standing around the roulette table and witnessing the game.

However, from the player’s perspective, there are several different types of roulette, and picking one over the other will not change the amount of excitement, but it can significantly impact your ability to win at the game. The biggest difference lies between American roulette and European roulette, since the American version has an extra pocket, the double-zero (00) in addition to a single-zero pocket. European does not have the 00.

There is a third variant as well, the so-called French roulette, which is very similar to the European version, but it is not identical. Today, we wanted to look into these two versions and see what makes them different.

French vs European roulette

According to historians, French roulette might be the original version of the game, with European and American versions emerging from it. As the name suggests, it was — and still is — widely used in France, but also in the UK. Casinos in these countries have recognized that the original version of the game seems to be more beneficial for them than the European version, and so it managed to stick around and survive all this time.

When it comes to the players, it might be difficult to differentiate between French and European roulette, since they are similar in most things. They both have a similar house edge of 2.703%, which means that the number of pockets on the wheel is the same, unlike in the mentioned American roulette. However, this does not mean that the players in French and European roulette have identical chances of winning.

The real difference between the two games lies at the table, specifically, in the French table. The table boxes that correspond to the pockets in the wheel are all in red. Furthermore, the words and numbers in the French table are in French, while the European version uses English. Of course, this is not too big of an issue, especially since most resources were published with translations for the words and numbers that the French roulette table has to offer.

The French version has its own advantages, however, such as the use of th e La Partage rule. Basically, this is the rule that allows the players to use the even money bet. Essentially, what this means is that players who choose to play with this rule will get half of the amount they bet if the ball falls in the pocket with the zero. ‘

In this scenario, the house edge will actually fall to the lowest point it can possibly have in any roulette game, which is 1.35%.

The French roulette has another rule called En Prison. This means “in jail,” and it allows players to protect their bet by invoking it. Essentially, if the player loses the bet, they do not lose the money right away. Instead, they can put it “in jail,” and get another spin using the same money. If this second spin does not go as planned, however, then the entire bet is lost, and the game moves on from that point onwards.

This rule also reduces the house edge significantly, granting the player a chance to protect their bet after the initial loss, and get a second spin to try again.

The French roulette table

We mentioned earlier that the French roulette table is different from European. Typically, the dimensions of the table are 3.3mx1.8m, with two croupiers (dealers) sitting at the wheel, holding a 60cm croupier’s rake. The croupiers sit at the short side of the table, and behind the wheel, on a heightened chair, is the table-umpire.

As for the players, they are free to occupy the remaining three sides of the table. It is worth noting that tables can differ from this design. The game can have a very long table, where the length is usually doubled from this traditional size. This version has the wheel in the center, and two table betting layouts on the sides. Another thing that makes the French version different from the European version is that it progresses slower when you play French roulette, which is, once again, beneficial for the player, statistically speaking. With longer-lasting games, players can lose less money per hour simply because they play fewer games in the same amount of time.

Another table-related difference between French and European versions of roulette is that the french one has the numbers grid positioned horizontally across the table. The outside bets are placed on both sides, with High, Even, and Black being on top, while Low, Odd, and Red are on the bottom. Both the upper and lower right sides of the grid have the Dozen Bets.

Odds and bets

Generally speaking, French and European roulette both have fairly low house edge — definitely lower than the American version, thanks to American Roulette’s 00 pocket. However, the extra rules that we talked about before make the French roulette house edge significantly lower when these mechanisms are used. The total number of pockets in both versions is 37, so the chance to win is 1 in 37.

The bets are also fairly similar, and the game allows players to bet on specific numbers, groups of numbers, or the color of the winning number. Both European and French roulette also have something called a Call Bet, which is essentially a situation where the player doesn’t have enough money to cover the cost of their bet. In this situation, the house extends credit to them on the table. Opposite of this is announced bet, where the gambler uses their own money.

It is worth remembering that call bets are not permitted everywhere, and in some jurisdictions around the world, they might even be illegal. The best way to discover whether or not this is allowed is to ask your dealer, as the alternative is to comb through the gambling laws and try to find out on your own. Even then, the casino might not allow them on its own, even if the jurisdiction does, so again — it is best to ask whether or not it is allowed to gamble on credit.

Conclusion

French and European roulette share a lot of similarities, and if the claims that French roulette came first, then the European version is definitely the closer variant to the original. Still, the French version has some clear advantages due to the additional rules that lower the house edge significantly, which gives players the advantage. The French version might also have a different table design, although this does not affect the game itself. But, it may require a bit more concentration to find your way around the betting layout.

The odds vary slightly based on the type of roulette game that is played. European roulette has slightly better odds than American roulette. The betting odds in American roulette of hitting a single number with a straight-up bet are 37 to 1, since there are 38 numbers (1 to 36, plus 0 and 00). However, the house only pays out 35 to 1 on winning bets.

The odds in European roulette are slightly better since there is no 00 on the board. (1 to 36, plus 0)

The house edge is with the 0 and 00, as these numbers cannot be won by the player.

Please view the following chart:

Bet TypeBetsOdds & PayoutsWin Probability in %
EuropeanFrenchAmericanEuropeanFrenchAmerican
InsideStraight Up35:135 to 135:12.702.702.60
InsideSplit17:117 to 117:15.405.405.30
InsideStreet11:111 to 111:18.108.107.90
InsideCorner8:18 to 18:110.8010.8010.50
InsideBasket    -   -6:1    -    -13.2
InsideLine5:15 to 15:116.216.215.8
OutsideRed/Black1:11 to 11:148.6548.6547.37
OutsideEven/Odd1:11 to 11:148.6548.6547.37
OutsideHigh/Low1:11 to 11:146.6546.6547.37
OutsideColumn2:12 to 12:132.4032.4031.60
OutsideDozen2:12 to 12:132.4032.4031.60

There are multiple different strategies that are popular with players who are trying to improve their odds of winning.

We go into details into the different strategies here:

Called bets only apply to European and French roulette.

These are the types of available called bets:

Neighbors of Zero - A bet on all 17 numbers near to the green zero.

Thirds of the Wheel - A bet on 12 numbers which are found adjacent to the neighbors of zero.

Zero Game - A bet on seven numbers near to the green zero.

The Orphans - A bet on any of the numbers which are not covered by the other called bets.

The Neighbors - A bet on 5 adjacent numbers

The Finals - A bet on the last digit (e.g. 5 would be a bet on 5, 15, 25, 35)

An outside bet is when you are not betting on a specific number, but instead choose to bet on odd or even, red or black, 1-18, or 1-36. These bets while they are lower risk, they still offer the house an edge due to the 0 and 00 on the board.

A straight bet is the simplest type of bet to understand in roulette. It is simply choosing a number (for example: 7), if the ball lands on the number then the player wins with the payout calculated as 35:1.

Roulette is all about statistics, the payout for selection the correct number the ball lands on is 35 to 1.

That being stated there is a house edge due to the 0 and 00. The odds of winning are actually 2.6% for American roulette, and slightly better odds of 2.7% with European roulette.

The odds are slightly better for the player with European roulette.

American roulette has both a 0 and a 00.

European roulette only has a 0.

If the ball lands on either the 0 or 00, the house automatically wins. This means it is in the players best interest to play European roulette.

To learn more visit our advanced guide that compares American vs European Roulette.

The real difference between the two games lies at the table, specifically, in the French table. The table boxes that correspond to the pockets in the wheel are all in red. Furthermore, the words and numbers in the French table are in French, while the European version uses English. Of course, this is not too big of an issue, especially since most resources were published with translations for the words and numbers that the French roulette table has to offer.

The French version has its own advantages, however, such as the use of th e La Partage rule. Basically, this is the rule that allows the players to use the even money bet. Essentially, what this means is that players who choose to play with this rule will get half of the amount they bet if the ball falls in the pocket with the zero.

To learn more visit our French Roulette Vs. European Roulette guide.

Lloyd is passionate about online gambling, he lives and breathes blackjack and other table games, and he enjoys sports betting.

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