French roulette is as amazing as everything invented in France; in essence, the French language and kiss. The game offers fast-paced action and incredible payouts to Australian players. Whether you want to play NetEnt French roulette games or any provider, you can at top Australian casinos.
In this guide, we walk you through everything you need to know about playing French roulette online before you can take your seat at the table. If that ship has already sailed, you may be interested in our winning French roulette strategy and difficult terms that you might have come across. Find a list of the best French roulette casino sites in Australia and play for free or for real cash.
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What is French Roulette?
French roulette is one of the oldest types of roulette, founded in France in the 17th century. The modern wheel used in the casino game was invented by French scientist Blaise Pascal. In 1842, the first zero in the roulette game was added to give the casino some house edge for the first time.
The roulette game then began to spread across the globe, and casinos in the US added the second zero, hence American roulette. However, this did not change for the modern French roulette game as it still features a single zero.
Today, French roulette is very popular among Australian players due to the many advantages in the game. Also, the best casinos that cater to Aussies offer other exclusive bonus perks and huge payouts on the game.
Understanding the French Roulette Table
The French variation uses a table layout very similar to European roulette. With the exception that in French roulette, the labels in the betting boxes and other words are written in French. For instance, the Red/Black bets are label Rouge/Noir and Odd/Even as Impair/Pair. However, some casinos offer tables where these are translated into English.
The betting grids are on the table, and this is where you place your chips. Call bets have a specific layout called the racetrack, and it is separated from the main grid. At the same time, the wheel is usually positioned at the end of the table.
French Roulette vs American Roulette
French roulette and American roulette are different because of the house edge. The French version cuts down the house edge to as little as 1.35%. In contrast, the American version has a significantly higher house edge of 5.26%.
The zero segments are what increases the house edge in roulette games, and the American version takes a step further, adding another zero (00), hence two times the edge.
Difference Between French Roulette and European Roulette
The main difference between French roulette vs European roulette is that the former adds the En Prison and La Partage rule. In comparison, the layout of the French roulette table is also slightly different and uses French language terms.
French Roulette Rules
Some French roulette games offer two special rules on their tables, namely the En Prison or La Partage rule. Both of these French roulette rules decrease the even bets by half from 2.70% to 1.35%. They come in to effect when players make even bets (even/odd, red/black, high/low), and the ball lands on a 0.
La Partage
The La Partage rule in French roulette gives players half of their even-money wager back if the ball lands on the 0 pocket.
En Prison
Here, your even bet gets held “in prison” for one more spin. Players either get to win or lose their bet on the next spin as normal. The En Prison bet in French Roulette is a respin or simply another chance to help you win.
French Roulette Wheel Layout
The French roulette wheel features 37 numbered pockets from 1 to 36 and a single green 0 segment. The numbers are highlighted in black and red around the wheel and are not displayed in consecutive order.
Interestingly enough, if you add all the numbers in the roulette wheel, they give 666, which is referred to as the number of the “beast” in controversial theories. Hence the game is informally called “the devil’s game”.
How to Play French Roulette Online for Real Money
Learning how to play French roulette is one of the most important things that new players need to know and understand. Although this version is not played differently from the other variants, it allows special bets that players won’t find anywhere else. Some of the wagers in French roulette are many bets in one, allowing players new betting options to keep the game exciting.
Below are the steps in which you can play French roulette online after you have signed up with a casino, made a deposit and selected your favorite game.
Place Your Bet – The are many different bets that you will find on online French roulette games. The layout does not differ much from the one on European roulette. You can place bets on straight numbers, red/black, even/odd, high and low, and many other bets.
Make “Call Bets” If You Wish – Some French roulette games allow you to make announced bets by calling out the type of bet. For instance, “Voisons du Zero”, which means “Neighbours of Zero”, and those are the 17 numbers on the wheel reaching from 22 to 25.
Ball Gets Released – the dealer will shoot the ball into the cylinder when the betting time closes. The ball will spin a couple of times around the wheel and finally land on a segment.
Dealer Collects Losing Bets – the croupier will start by collecting the losing bets first and leave the winning bets on the table.
Payouts for Winning Bets – The dealer will then payout for the winning bets. Since the game has different winning combinations, multiple players will receive different payments. If you win, you can continue the game if you wish or leave the table.
Live French Roulette
French roulette live different from online roulette in that former uses a real live dealer, and the table has real-life players, and the game takes place in real-time using a webcam and live chat. While the latter uses a Random Number Generator (RNG) for the outcomes.
In live french roulette, a live croupier is in charge of the game, communicating to the players and releasing the white ball into the spinning roulette wheel. Live dealer french roulette is considered by many as the best version to play. Usually, casinos with roulette games also feature plenty of live French roulette tables.
Best French Roulette Strategy
French roulette is a game of chance, and therefore there isn’t really much of a scientific strategy to it. Unless you want to try expert roulette betting systems that are common to most players. We’ve listed some useful tips and tricks to improve your chances of winning online roulette below.
Bet within Your Limits – roulette is a game of many types of bets, and therefore you don’t just want to bet on everything on the table. Otherwise, you are just as good as throwing your money away.
Check Hot and Cold Numbers – not so many guides advise on this. However, from our gambling experience, we’ve seen many back-to-back numbers being spun and some not appearing for almost the entire session. Which, in fact, proves there are hot and cold numbers.
Don’t Chase Your Losses – if the game stops being fun; then it’s best to walk away. Gambling is supposed to be fun, and losing streaks do happen. So instead of throwing in the money you have left, rather save it for another day.
General French Roulette Terms
En Prison – “In prison” (see definition under the rules section)
Faites vos jeux – translates to “Place your bets”
Jeu zero – “Zero games” is a type of call bet that covers numbers between (and including) 12 and 15 on the wheel. It is a smaller version of Voisins du zero that we define below.
Jouer – means “to play” or “gamble”
Joueur – “Player”
La Partage – “The portion” (see definition under the rules section)
Tier du cylinder – “Thirds of the wheel”, this is also a call bet which covers twelve numbers on the opposite side of the wheel to the Voisins.
Mise – means “Stake” in European and French Roulette circles
Orphelins – “Orphans”, a call bet that covers the eight remaining numbers not covered by the Voisins and Tiers du cylinder bets.
Rien ne va plus – “No more bets”
Voisins du zero – means “Neighbours of zero”; these are bets on the seventeen numbers closest to the 0 on the roulette wheel. The bet covers numbers between (and), including 22 and 25.
Play French Roulette Online
French roulette is considered the best of all roulette variations by many players. Why? Because of its incredible RTP of 98.65% and lower house edge of 1.35% when the la partage and en prison rules are applied.
Whether you want to play RNG roulette or live dealer roulette, the casinos on our list have them all. Enjoy the best French roulette odds and payouts.
What’s more, Australian players also get to access French roulette Vegas games on their PC or mobile device and enjoy the game from their own comfort!