French Roulette Rules, La Partage & En Prison
French roulette uses the same single-zero wheel as European roulette but adds two player-friendly rules - La Partage and En Prison - that lower the house edge on even-money bets to 1.35%. It is the best version of roulette for the player when it is available.
The Basics of French Roulette
French roulette runs on a 37-pocket wheel with a single green zero. The table is labelled in French (rouge/noir, pair/impair, manque/passe) and almost always includes the racetrack section for called bets. The wheel order matches the European wheel exactly.
La Partage
La Partage applies to even-money bets only. When the ball lands on zero, the player loses half of the even-money bet instead of all of it. The other half is returned. This rule cuts the house edge on those bets from 2.70% to 1.35%.
En Prison
En Prison is an alternative even-money rule. When zero hits, the player's even-money bet is "imprisoned" rather than lost. The same bet is kept on the table for one more spin. If it wins on the next spin, the player gets the original stake back with no profit. If it loses, the chip is taken. The expected value matches La Partage at 1.35% house edge.
French vs European vs American
| Feature | French | European | American |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pockets | 37 | 37 | 38 |
| Zeros | 0 | 0 | 0, 00 |
| House edge (inside bets) | 2.70% | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| House edge (even-money) | 1.35% with La Partage | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Racetrack | Standard | Common | Rare |
Called Bets in French Roulette
The racetrack enables a fuller set of called bets than the standard outside grid.
- Voisins du zéro: 17 numbers around the zero (9 chips).
- Tiers du cylindre: 12 numbers opposite the zero (6 chips).
- Orphelins: 8 numbers not covered by voisins or tiers (5 chips).
- Jeu zéro: 7 numbers nearest the zero (4 chips).
Strategy on French Roulette
French roulette is the best variant for any even-money betting system because La Partage essentially halves the cost of losses caused by zero. Systems like Oscar's Grind and D'Alembert are most efficient on this surface.
Where to Find French Roulette
French roulette is widely available in European land-based casinos, especially in France, Monaco, and Belgium. Online, it is offered by most major studios under the labels French Roulette or Roulette Pro with La Partage. Always check the rules screen before playing - some "French" labels omit La Partage and behave like standard European roulette.
For more on roulette mechanics, variants, and odds, return to the main roulette guide. To put these ideas into practice, the free roulette demo on the homepage is built for risk-free experimentation with every bet type and variant covered here.