| Updated: September 26, 2025Many casual roulette players fail to distinguish between the game’s European and French varieties. Both are played on single-zero wheels and share a common structure. However, there are subtle differences in layout and rules that set French roulette apart from its European cousin.
French tables offer more betting options and provide players with a higher return. If you’re looking to learn more about the predecessor of all roulette variations, you’ve made an excellent choice. It is widely considered the most rewarding variant of this wheel-based game.
Here, you’ll find helpful information about the French table layout, the game’s basic and special bets, and the rules that cut the house edge in half. We’ll also brief you on some of the terms and croupier calls you’re likely to hear while playing at French tables.
- High Stakes Roulette
- Low Limit Roulette
- Fibonacci Roulette System
- Parlay Roulette System
- Martingale Roulette System
- Inside Bets
- Outside Bets
- Roulette Rules
- Roulette Strategies
- American Roulette
- French Roulette
- European Roulette
- American and European Wheel Sequences
- Roulette – From a Perpetual Motion Machine to a Casino Landmark
- Roulette Basics and Rules of Table Conduct
- Roulette's Bet Types
- Independent Trials, Odds, and Casino Edge in Roulette
- En Prison and La Partage
- Taking Your Roulette Game to the Next Level with Call Bets
- The Many Faces of Roulette – Interesting Variations to Try
- Progressive Roulette Systems
- Reading Biased Wheels and Other Predictive Methods
- The Master of the Wheel Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo
- Improving Your Roulette Game
- Dispelling Roulette Myths
- How to Protect a Roulette Bankroll
- Software Providers of Online Roulette
- Roulette Games with Progressive Jackpots
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Roulette Goes Mobile
- Roulette in Literature, Film, and Television
Brief Run-Through of the Main Bets in French Roulette
French roulette follows the same rules as the other variants of the game. The goal is to predict where the ball will land when it loses momentum. The croupier spins the wheel in one direction and tosses the ball in the opposite direction. A marker is placed on the winning number and remains there until all bets are settled and a new round can begin.
The main bets available in French roulette closely resemble those in the European and American versions. They are grouped into two categories: inside and outside bets. These are briefly explained below. We recommend that you refer to our article on roulette bet types for further information.
Inside Bets
Outside Bets The “French” BetsInside Bets
Inside bets are placed on the inner section of the layout, where all roulette numbers are displayed. You may choose a single number or a combination of two to six numbers.
- En Plein (straight up) – you wager on one of the 37 numbers (0 to 36). It pays 35 to 1.
- Cheval (split) – the player selects two adjacent numbers on the layout (e.g., 6 and 9). It pays 17 to 1.
- Transversal (street) – a bet on three consecutive numbers in the same row (e.g., 4, 5, 6). The payout is 11 to 1.
- Carre (corner) – a bet on four numbers that share a common corner on the layout (e.g., 14, 15, 17, 18). The payout is 8 to 1.
- Sixain (double street) – a bet on two rows for a total of six consecutive numbers (e.g., 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21). It pays 5 to 1.
Outside Bets
Outside bets are very popular among French roulette beginners, mainly because of their simplicity and higher odds of winning. Chips for these wagers are placed outside the main betting area that contains the numbers. The group includes bets based on the numbers’ characteristics, the dozens, and the columns.
- Douzaine (dozen bets) – the player chooses one of the three dozens: Premier Douzaine or 12P (1 through 12), Moyenne Douzaine or 12M (13 through 24), or Derniere Douzaine or 12D (25 through 36). Zero is not included in any dozen. The bet pays 2 to 1.
- Colonne (column bets) – you select one of the three columns of non-consecutive numbers for a payout of 2 to 1.
- Rouge et Noir (red or black) – the player wagers that the ball will land on a chosen color. All bets on red or black lose when the ball lands on zero. If you win, the dealer pays you at even odds (1 to 1).
- Pair et Impair (even or odd) – the player picks numbers based on parity. If any number of the selected parity hits, the player wins even money. You lose if zero hits or if the ball lands on a number with the opposite parity.
- Passe et Manque (high or low) – a bet on low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36) numbers. The payout is 1 to 1, and the bet loses after a spin of the single zero.
The “French” Bets
Once you gain enough experience with the main bets in French roulette, you can begin incorporating more advanced wagers into your gameplay. Seasoned roulette players know them as call or announced bets, while others simply refer to them as “French” bets.
Instead of betting on numbers as they appear on the layout, you stake money on groups of numbers as they appear on the wheel. These wagers usually require multiple chips to cover every number in a given wheel section on the layout. Below are the five most popular call bets explained briefly:
- Tiers du Cylinder (One-third of the Wheel) includes all numbers situated on the side of the wheel opposite the single zero, namely numbers 27 through 33. This six-chip bet is placed on the splits of the included numbers and pays 17 to 1.
- Voisins du Zero (Neighbors of Zero) covers a group of 17 numbers that surround the zero, i.e., 22 through 25. The bet requires nine chips placed on five splits, one corner, and the 0, 2, and 3. The payout varies depending on which bet wins.
- Les Orphelins (The Orphans) features eight numbers located in the two smaller wheel sections between the Voisins and the Tiers. It is placed as four splits and one straight-up bet. You win 17 to 1 with a split and 35 to 1 with the straight-up bet.
- Jeu Zero (Zero Game) is a mini version of the Voisins bet. It comprises two numbers to the right of zero (32 and 15), the four numbers on its left (26, 3, 35, and 12), and the zero itself. It is placed as three splits and a straight-up bet on number 26.
- Finales (Finals) are bets placed on all numbers that end in the same digit (e.g., 4, 14, 24, 34, and 9, 19, 29). The player needs either four or three chips to make this wager. There are two types in this category: with Finales en Plein, you place chips straight up on individual numbers, while with Finales en Cheval, the chips are placed on splits such as 1/4, 11/14, 21/24, and 31/34. This bet is not tied to a specific wheel segment.
The “French” Rules – A Second Chance for Even-Money Bettors
One of the biggest differences between French and European roulette is that the former gives even-odds bettors a second chance when the ball settles in the green pocket. Ordinarily, bets on color, parity, and range lose when the ball lands on the single zero. This is not the case at French tables, where two exclusive rules apply: La Partage and En Prison.
En Prison rule La Partage ruleEn Prison rule
Under the En Prison rule (literally “in prison” in French), even-money bets remain on the layout instead of immediately losing after a spin of the single zero. The dealer places a marker on top of the affected bet to indicate that the chips are en prison. If the bet wins on the next spin, the “imprisoned” stakes are returned to the players in full.
La Partage rule
La Partage (“sharing” in French) is the more commonly applied rule. Even-money wagers that lose to the zero are split in half. One half is returned to the player, while the other half is collected by the house. This rule is also used in some online variations of European roulette.
How French Roulette Measures against Its European and American Cousins
Many experienced roulette players gravitate toward French tables. This preference is no coincidence. The French version offers the best conditions from the player's perspective. It has the lowest house edge of all available roulette variations.
There are two main reasons for this reduction in the house take, starting with the fact the game is played on a wheel with a single zero. This alone sets the house advantage at 2.70%, the same percentage casinos collect from their European roulette tables in the long term.
In contrast, the roulette wheels in US-based casinos feature two green pockets, 0 and 00. They play with 38 numbers instead of 37 as is the case in European and French roulette. The addition of the double zero is disadvantageous for all players, regardless of what bets they make.
Smart players prefer French roulette because of the La Partage and En Prison rules. When in place, they cut the house advantage at single-zero tables in half, from 2.70% to 1.35%. It is irrelevant which of the two rules is in place. Both are equally beneficial to the player. It is obvious that French roulette is the best of the three roulette variations.
It reduces one's chances of winning with the inside bets because there is one extra pocket that can potentially cause a loss. Your chances decrease but you are still paid at standard roulette odds when you win. You get 35 units per every unit you wager straight up despite the fact the actual odds of winning with a single number are 37 to 1 on double-zero wheels.
The probability of winning with even-money, column, and dozen bets also drops in American roulette. The payouts remain the same. For example, with a column bet you have 12 winning numbers and 26 losing ones for a total of 38 pockets. The house pays at odds of 2 to 1.
The discrepancy between casino payouts and true odds sets the house edge in American roulette at -1 x (26/38) + 2 x (12/38) = -0.0526 x 100 = -5.26%. This example was for the column bet but the percentage is the same for all wagers made on double-zero wheels, except for the five-number bet.
The Language of French Roulette
You don’t need to excel in French to play this variation of the game online. The interface of most online French roulette versions is available in English, so you should have no difficulties.
If you plan to visit a land-based casino in France, however, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with some of the French phrases and dealer calls you are likely to hear at the roulette table. We have compiled a short list to get you started.
Rien ne va plus Faites vos jeux Rien ne va Les jeux sont faits Zero et les deux voisins Cagnotte Râteau JetonRien ne va plus
This croupier call translates to “No more bets” and indicates that no further wagers are accepted on the current spin.
Faites vos jeux
The phrase means “Place your bets, please” in French and signals the start of a new round of play.
Rien ne va
The croupier announces “Nothing goes” to declare that the spin is invalid, usually because the ball has bounced off the wheel and failed to produce a valid outcome.
Les jeux sont faits
This call translates to “Bets are made” and coincides with the launch of the ball onto the spinning wheel.
Zero et les deux voisins
The phrase means “Zero and the two neighbors”. It refers to a specific neighbor bet that includes zero and the two numbers on each side of it – 3, 26, 32, and 15.
Cagnotte
The shared kitty into which patrons at French tables place tips for the croupiers.
Râteau
The rake the dealer uses to collect chips from the felt.
Jeton
The word literally means “token” in French but refers to chips in the context of gambling.