French roulette: the cheapest wheel in the casino
French roulette is European roulette with one extra rule, and the rule is worth more than any strategy ever written about the game. When zero comes up, an even-money bet does not lose everything. Half comes back, or the stake is held for one more spin. That single change cuts the house edge on red, black, odd, even, high and low from 2.70% to 1.35%, which makes a French table the cheapest place in any casino to play roulette.
Put it into practice
We send you to one of the roulette sites we work with. Affiliate link. 18+.
The wheel and the layout
The wheel is the standard single-zero wheel: 37 pockets, 0 and 1 to 36, same number order as every European wheel. The layout looks a little different. The even-money boxes are split, three down each side of the number grid, with French labels: Manque (1–18), Pair (even), Rouge (red) on one side and Passe (19–36), Impair (odd), Noir (black) on the other. Dozens are marked P12, M12, D12 for première, moyenne and dernière. The bets are identical; only the labels and positions change.
La Partage
"Sharing." When the ball lands on zero, every even-money bet loses half its stake and the other half is returned. A £10 bet on red on a zero spin loses £5 instead of £10. Over the long run that halves the cost of the zero on those bets, taking the edge from 1/37 to 1/74, or 1.35%. This is the version almost all online French tables use.
En Prison
"In prison." On a zero, the even-money stake is not lost but held on the table for the next spin. If that spin wins, the stake is returned with no winnings. If it loses, the stake is gone. If zero comes up again, rules vary by table. The expected cost works out at almost exactly the same 1.35% as La Partage. It is rarer online because it needs a second spin to settle, which RNG games tend to avoid.
Find a roulette table
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission. Play responsibly. 18+ only.
What the rule does not change
Inside bets, dozens and columns are the same 2.70% as on any European wheel. A straight-up pays 35:1 and loses in full on zero. The French table's advantage is entirely on the outside, which is why it suits flat bettors on red or black so well and matters much less to number players.
The cost in pounds
£5 on red for 100 spins: expected loss £6.75 on a French table against £13.50 on a European one and £26.30 on an American one. Same bet, same payout, three different prices. For an outside bettor, the choice of table is the single largest lever on what the evening costs.
Call bets
French tables traditionally offer the announced bets that follow the wheel rather than the layout: Voisins du Zéro, Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins, Jeu Zéro and neighbours. Online, they are placed from the racetrack. They carry the standard 2.70% because they are inside bets, but they are the authentic way to play the French game and the call bets page covers each one.
Finding a French table
Filter the RNG lobby for "French". Several major providers make one and the La Partage rule is stated in the help screen. Live French tables exist but are fewer; look for "La Partage" in the table name, often on an automated wheel. The French vs European page covers how to tell them apart and what to check before the first bet.
Who it suits
Anyone who bets outside. Anyone who plays a flat even-money system and wants it to cost half as much. Anyone who has read that roulette is a bad bet and wants the least bad version of it. For number players, it is simply a well-made European table, which is no bad thing either.
Give it a spin
This is an affiliate link to a roulette site we partner with. You must be 18 or over.
Quick answers
What is the difference between French and European roulette?
Same 37-pocket wheel, same payouts. French tables add La Partage or En Prison, which return half of an even-money stake, or hold it over, when zero comes up. That halves the house edge on those bets to 1.35%.
Is French roulette available online in the UK?
Yes, as RNG tables from several providers and on a few live tables labelled La Partage. It is less common than European roulette, so it is worth filtering the lobby for it.
Does La Partage apply to all bets?
No. Only to the six even-money bets: red, black, odd, even, 1–18 and 19–36. Inside bets, dozens and columns pay the standard 2.70% to the house.