French Roulette
Legend has it that François Blanc, who introduced single-zero French roulette in 1841, bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of the game. Since there’s no way to confirm this tale, you’ll only learn about French roulette facts from here on out.
The wheel
The French roulette wheel features 37 numbers, from 0 to 36, in red, black and green pockets. These digits appear in a non-consecutive order, where each pair of odd numbers is followed by a set of evens. The number sequence on a single-zero wheel is:
0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25-17-34-6-27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33-1-20-14-31-9-22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26
Traditionally, the wheel is placed at the centre of the layout, however, this varies with online roulette. More often than not, the wheel appears to the side of a digital table due to the limited space within live casino studios.
The table
In land-based casinos, the French roulette table is quite large as between handling physical chips and payouts, three croupiers man it. There’s no need for this online, so the size of the table used is usually down to the provider’s preference, and some of these are even digitally-rendered using green-screen technology. No matter how the surface is presented on your screen, the French language appears on the betting layout.
Type of bets, rules, and odds
A total of 157 French roulette bets can be placed on the layout. These include 37 plein, 60 cheval, 14 transversale, 23 carré, 11 sixain, 3 colonne, 3 douzaine and 6 chance bets (which are explained in the roulette glossary too. Placing inside and outside bets on the virtual layout is simple as the selection you are to bet on becomes highlighted as you hover over it, offering a clear indication as to which numbers you’ll place your chips on.
Racetrack, finale en plein, finales a cheval and complete bets can be chosen in a single click. This is especially useful given their complex chip placement and the brief betting window you have when playing roulette online. And once you’ve chosen your preferred bets, most live casino providers give you the option to save these and make future betting even speedier.
- Voisins du Zero: Translated from French, this means Neighbours of Zero, this is known by many different names such as Series 0/2/3, Grand Series and Close to Zero. This bet covers every number between 22 and 25 on the wheel, including these numbers. If you are to look at the wheel, you will see that these cover 9 numbers on one side of the number 0 and 7 on the other, hence its name.
Numbers included are: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25.
- Tiers du Cylindre: Meaning Thirds of the Wheel, this bet is also known as Series 5/8, or Petit Series. It covers 12 adjacent numbers that are on the opposite side of the wheel to the Voisins du Zero bet and comprises of 6 split bets spread over the numbers.
Numbers included are: 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36.
- Orphelins à Cheval: Literally translated as Horse Orphans, this bet covers the remaining 8 numbers that the previous bets leave out. Orphelins à Cheval is a mixture of split bets and straight-up bets and requires a minimum of 5 chips to place it.
Numbers included are: 17, 34, 6 on one side and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9 on the other.
- Jeu Zero: This translates to Zero Game in English and is basically a mini version of Voisins du Zero. This bet covers the numbers between 12 and 15 inclusive for a total of 7 numbers. As some of these are split bets, it only requires a minimum of 4 chips to place this bet.
Numbers included are: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15.
- Finale en Plein: A French term meaning final in full. This is a more advanced bet type, but if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, why not try it out? For the finale en plein, you will place a number of straight up bets that end with the same digit. Depending on the number, you will need either 3 or 4 chips to place this bet. For example:
Finale 1 en plein: 1, 11, 21, 31.
Finale 2 en plein: 2, 12, 22, 32.
- Finales a Cheval: This translates literally to Horse Finals. Being completely unrelated to horses, this type of bet is made over a series of split number bets. This is quiet and advanced wager, so you won’t need to worry about it too much.
The main benefit of playing French roulette are the two special rules that apply.
- En Prison: As you probably already guessed, this translates to in prison, this French roulette rule applies to even-money bets. When a zero is hit, you may either take back half your wager or leave it imprisoned for another spin. If the subsequent outcome is also zero, the other half of the original wager is also lost.
- La Partage: A French roulette rule akin to the En prison one. In this scenario, you lose half your wager without the option of leaving the bet imprisoned for another spin. This rule is used for outside, even-money wagers including red/black, high/low, odd/even and may also apply when the outcome is zero.
The French roulette house edge, payouts and odds are summarised in the table below. You won’t need to memorise these as most providers give you the option to pin this information to the gaming interface. Do give them a look over before you play to plan which roulette bets are best for you.
Given the complexities of special roulette bets, you’ll find their specific chip placement, probabilities, payouts and house edge detailed below.
Voisins du zero
Tiers du cylindre
Orphelins a cheval
Jeu Zero
It is important to note that rules, types of bets and their payouts may vary from game to game. Be sure to check the in-game information section to confirm what applies before you play.
Tips for playing French Roulette online
Now that the details are a little clearer, you’re ready for some tips on how to play. It is important to remember that every spin of the wheel is independent. These suggestions won’t increase your chances of winning French roulette but they will make for a more enjoyable gaming experience all-round.
- Play at online casinos that are fully licensed and regulated.
- Look for tables that offer low betting limits, especially if you’re just starting out.
- Sit in on a few rounds of the game before you begin placing bets.
- Play within your limits and always keep a level head.
- Check the table’s information to ensure that the La Partage and En prison rules apply.
- Place even money bets to benefit from the lowest house edge.
American Roulette
Early forms of American roulette featured the single and double zero that distinguish the variant today as well as an American Eagle slot. The latter pocket has since been removed but this variant remains fairly popular in its modernised form. Read on to see how American roulette from the other little wheel variants.
The wheel
The American roulette wheel includes a total of 38 numbers; 1-36 in red and black pockets and 0 and 00 in green ones. The digits are displayed in an alternating order such that a red pocket is followed by a black one. The single-zero is positioned between two black numbers while the double-zero has two red digits either side. The number arrangement is:
0-28-9-26-30-11-7-20-32-17-5-22-34-15-3-24-36-13-1-00-27-10-25-29-12-8-19-31-18-6-21-33-16-4-23-35-14-2
The table
The American roulette table is fairly standard in that it doesn’t differ too much to the ones used in other variants. It is rectangular in shape and the red, black and green betting grid across the felt. As no unusual bets are allowed in this game, there is no area for them. The only notable alteration is the area for the added 00 bet.
Type of bets, rules, and odds
As many as 161 American roulette bets can be made on the felt. These include 38 straight, 62 split, 15 trios, 22 four-number, 1 fivebet, 11 sixline, 3 columns, 3 dozen and 6 chance bets. Sections on the betting layout become highlighted as you hover over them to indicate the number, or numbers, your chips will be placed on. This far simpler, and less nerve-wracking than betting in a land-based casino, especially if you’re just starting out.
Similarly, racetrack wagers can be placed in a single click which certainly suits the short betting timeframe. If you’ve found your favourite bets after a few rounds, most game providers let you save up to six of these, making playing roulette online even smoother.
At the American roulette tables, there is usually a special surrender rule applied. This has the exact same application as the La Partage rule mentioned in French roulette. The only difference is that it applies for both the single zero and the double zero. This will reduce the house edge on even money bets and outside bets from 5.26% to 2.63%.
The exact American roulette house edge, payouts and probabilities are displayed below. One thing you’ll immediately notice is that this variant comes with the highest house edge. It is for this reason that perfecting your roulette strategy would be ideal before you play at an American roulette table. However, even once you get your bearings of this variant, playing European or French roulette is still preferable, and potentially more profitable, in the long run.
Outside bets
Inside bets
Tips for playing American Roulette online
Before you head off to play American roulette, take a look at our hints to help you out at the tables. As every turn is completely unpredictable there isn’t anything you can do to affect the outcome of each spin. These recommendations won’t guarantee a win on American roulette but following them should improve your time at the tables.
- Only deposit at online casinos that are licensed and regulated by respectable gaming bodies.
- Opt for low betting limits until you become comfortable with the game.
- Familiarise yourself with the table and its interface before you wager.
- Set win and loss limits before you begin playing, and be sure to stick to them.
- Avoid the Five-Number bet as it has a high house advantage of 7.89%.
European Roulette
Remember François Blanc from earlier on? Well, he played a role in the creation of European roulette too. Together with Luis Blanc, he decided to remove the 00 and take the game to Hamburg, Germany. The feedback was positive and the nature of the game remains mainly unchanged today. Read on to find out why European roulette online is one of the most popular and readily available variants of the game.
The wheel
With 37 numbers, from 0 to 36, the European roulette wheel is similar to its French counterpart. These digits are divided into red and black pockets and a single green one for the 0. The numbers alternate between a pair of odd digits followed by even ones, and they appear in this order:
0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25-17-34-6-27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33-1-20-14-31-9-22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26
The table
The European roulette table features an almost identical layout to that of the French one. The red, black and green betting grid is exactly the same and, traditionally, there is no area for Tiers, Orphelins, Voisins and Zero as these bets are not available in this variant.
Type of bets, rules, and odds
Much like French roulette, there are 157 different European roulette bets that can be placed. Among these are 37 straight, 60 split, 14 trios, 23 four-number bets, 11 six-number bets, 3 columns, 3 dozen and 6 chance bets. Playing live European roulette makes it much easier to place your bets as you can see exactly where each type os by hovering over the interface. This handy feature will allow to clearly see what numbers your bet will be placed on.
The betting layout in European roulette has two main sections, namely the inside and outside bet groups. The rules for these bet types are universal among all the different variants. European roulette varies from the American version as there is only one zero on the wheel. This means that the house edge is much lower – 2.70% as opposed to 5.26%. This makes it a more favourable version for a lot of players. Below you will find the most popular bets. Notice how much only having one zero will affect the house edge and the probabilities.
Outside bets
Inside bets
Tips for playing European Roulette online
If you feel ready to play European roulette online, be sure to take a look at the tips below before you go. Following them won’t guarantee winning European roulette as every round is completely random. They will set you up for a better time at the tables though!
- Only play at casinos that are licensed, regulated and well-known.
- Stick to low betting limits while you’re still learning the basics.
- Watch a few game rounds before you begin betting.
- Determine realistic gaming limits for yourself and stick to them as you play.
- Place even money bets to benefit from a higher probability.
