This article is designed to teach you more about casino Roulette, and help you understand why French Roulette is the best variant. Compared to European or American Roulette, the French version has the best odds.
How to play Roulette
The rules of the game are the same on all three wheels. Only the odds change according to the bets made. Before playing, it’s important to know the rules of the game. Wheels with a single zero box are recommended as the casino margin is lower with these versions. The French and European Roulette have wheels with 36 numbers and a box with a 0 (37 boxes in total). The American, on the other hand, has 38 boxes (it has one extra zero space, 0-0). As the payout table of the three wheels being the same, we can deduce that the American version wins less often.
French Roulette and the zero
With French Roulette, there’s a special rule when the zero box is hit that favours outside bets. Many players don’t know this when they decide to try their luck at Roulette. In addition, this game has the highest return to player rate, placing it at the top of the table games list.
Which online casino should I choose?
There are a dozen reliable UK online casinos to choose from for playing Roulette. But there’s only one, we believe, that’s worthwhile, and it’s Casino Action. This reliable gambling site opened in 2000, is regulated in the UK and meets strict standards in terms of fairness.
Outside bets and odds
With bets that pay 1:1, the American version has a return to player (RTP) of 94.6%, the European’s rate is 97.3%, and the French rate is 98.65%. Once you see where these differences come from, you’ll know which bets have the best odds.
Ratios
Both French and European roulettes have a return to player of 97.3% (RTP), while the American version is 94.6%. However, with French Roulette, there’s an RTP of 98.65% when betting on outside bets (1:1). In fact, this RTP rate is even better than on high paying slot machines.
This game is made up of 38 boxes: from 1 to 36, the 0, and the 00.
This game is made up of 37 boxes: from 1 to 36, and the 0.
Odds on the three wheels
The best odds with French Roulette are by betting on outside bets (payout of 1:1). The rates on outside bets on American and European wheels are lower. However, when it comes to inside bets, the odds between French Roulette and European are the same. American Roulette has the one with the worst odds. The table below shows the RTP rate for each type of Roulette on inside and outside bets.
RTP – Return per player
| Outside bets | Inside bets | |
| French | 98.7% | 97.3% |
| European | 97.3% | 97.3% |
| American | 94.6% | 94.6% |
| As shown above, in the RTP table, French Roulette is the most favourable choice, and the highest payout rates are with outside bets. Thus French Roulette is our number one recommendation in the table games category. Not even Blackjack and Baccarat can beat these rates. | ||
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Roulette Bets
There are two possible types of bets in Roulette; inside and outside. These bets can be made on the three casino wheels, and the only things that change are the odds of winning.
Inside bets
Inside bets have higher ratios than outside bets. They involve bets made with the mat. We’ve listed the different possible bets below.
Straight Up (35:1 payout)
This is a bet on only 1 number, and you win when the ball reaches that chosen number. It’s the riskiest bet, but it’s also the one that pays the most.
Split (17:1 payout)
This bet is made on two horizontal or vertical numbers which must touch on the mat. You win when one or the other of the numbers appears. The chip must be placed on the line between the two numbers.
Street (11:1 payout)
This bet is made on a line of three numbers. If the ball lands on any number on the line, the bet wins. The chip must be placed at the start of a horizontal line.
Corner (8:1 payout)
For this bet, the four numbers must form a square. The chip must be placed at the intersection of the four numbers.
6-Number (5:1 payout)
This is a 6-digit bet where you must combine two horizontal lines on consecutive rows. The chip must be placed at the intersection of the lines on the edge of the rectangle.
Trio (11:1 payout)
This is a three number bet that includes the 0 (or 00). The chip must be placed on the line shared by the zero box and the two other numbers.
Basket (8:1 payout)
This is a bet on 0, 1, 2 and 3. The chip is placed on the corner shared by the zero box and the first line. In American Roulette, it includes the double zero (7:1 payout).
Note: the payout ratios (X:1) listed above are the same on all casino roulette. Only the basket bet is different with American Roulette.
Note: the payout ratios (X:1) listed above are the same on all casino roulette. Only the basket bet is different with American Roulette.
Outside bets
Outside bets are made on the perimeter of the mat. They are less risky and have a lower payout rate. The bets that pay 1:1 are the favourite in French Roulette as they have the best RTP.
Red / Black (1:1 payout)
This is the most-played bet in Roulette. You simply bet on whether black or red will be the winning colour. According to statistics, the colour red is the most popular choice.
Odd / Even (1:1 payout)
This is another popular bet in Roulette. You bet that the ball will land on an even or odd number. If you win, the gains are doubled.
Low / High (payout 1: 1)
This is where you bet that the ball will fall either on the low numbers (1-18), or in the high numbers of it (19-36). Any winning play doubles the bet.
Dozens (2:1 payout)
This bet has 12 numbers. The payout for each dozen is 2:1. There are three numbers to bet on (from 1 to 12, from 13 to 24, or from 25 to 36).
Columns (2:1 payout)
This bet is made on one of the three columns with 12 numbers, and the payout is 2:1 on winning bets. In French and European Roulette, these are the same numbers. On the American version, the numbers are different and are arranged differently on the wheel.
Note: the payout ratios (X:1) listed above are the same on all types of casino roulette.
3-wheel mat
French and European Roulette
French Roulette has the same mat and wheel as the European version. Even the numbers on the wheels are also arranged the same way. The only difference with these two mats is the option offered to players on outside bets when the wheel ball falls to zero.
American Roulette
French Roulette rules
The crucial factor with French Roulette takes place when the ball lands on the zero and there’s an outside bet. With this same bet (red/black, odd/even, low/high), on European or American Roulette, you lose when the ball lands on 0 (or the 0-0). In French Roulette, when a 0 is hit, you have a chance to retry thanks to the “En Prison” and “La Partage” rules. These two terms come from the French language. History says that the two White brothers, who ran the Casino de Monaco in 1860, had the idea of implementing these exceptions to attract people to their gambling halls (ref. Montecarlosbm.com ). Today these zero French Roulette options are still being used (source Wikipedia.org).
French Roulette “En Prison” rule
The rule is valid with outside bets (which pay 1-1) in French Roulette. It gives you the chance to recover a losing bet when the ball lands on the zero square. In this case, the player leaves the bet for the next round. If during this turn the result is positive, the player recovers his token. If the bet is lost, or if the zero comes out again, the imprisoned bet is lost.
French Roulette “La Partage” rule
The sharing rule is where the player agrees to lose half the bet when the ball lands on zero, and recovers 50% of the bet. The choice of “In prison” or “Sharing” is up to the bettor. In practice, players often opt for the “In prison” play because it can mean you recover 100% of the lost bet.
European and American roulettes – Zero boxes
The European and American roulettes offer nothing to players with outside bets when the ball lands on the [0] or [0-0] field. Players simply lose with these bets. Which is why we recommend French Roulette for outside bets.
Strategy
The most used strategies in Roulette are listed in the next part of the article. These are “Martingale” and “D’Alembert”. There are other methods, but we consider them to be too risky to recommend.
Martingale
This technique saves a bet decided in advance. It can be applied to outside bets on the mat, as well as any other form of a bet. The benefit is that after a series of losing bets, the starting bet is won when a bet is winning. In practice, it is necessary to double with each loss, and when a bet is winning, you must return to a starting bet.
Consecutive bets with Martingale
| # | Bet | Loss | Win |
| 1. | £10 | – £10 | £10 |
| 2. | £20 | – £30 | £10 |
| 3. | £40 | – £70 | £10 |
| 4. | £80 | – £150 | £10 |
| 5. | £160 | – £310 | £10 |
Martingale review
On the table above, we see that losing bets that follow commit large sums of money to bet. Imagine, in our example, that the 5th bet, of £160, is losing again. The total loss would be £310. In this case, you’d have to bet £320 in the next round to hope to win £10 at the end of the series. In our opinion, this risk isn’t worth it. Thus, it wouldn’t be wise not to continue playing beyond several consecutive losses.
Advice
The option of playing with small chips (£1) limits the risks. The Martingale’s weak point is triggered when the value of the chips are high. Playing with low stakes is one way to make this technique as effective as possible.
D’Alembert
The system is based on the concept of balance. The name of this strategy is linked to Jean-Baptiste le Rond d’Alembert, an 18th-century mathematician from France. Wins and losses, according to his theory, always end up equalizing. In this system, the player adds a chip after losing a bet and removes one after a win.
D’Alembert review
Compared to Martingale, this system is less risky. It allows you to play longer during consecutive losses. In the example given with the Martingale, five consecutive losses with the D’Alembert method represent 15 lost chips (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5), while with the Martingale the loss would be 31 chips (1+ 2 + 4 + 8 + 16).
French Roulette summary
Overall French Roulette has better odds compared to other casino roulette. On the other hand, with outside bets, the French and European roulettes are equal. As for the American version, we recommend avoiding it.
American Roulette pays less
American Roulette has more boxes than the French and European version. Thus, there’s less chance of winning. The payment table is the same on all three wheels. But, if you bet on a single number, in the American version you have a 1 in 38 chance of winning (ratio of 0.947), while with the other roulette wheels you have a 1 in 37 chance (ratio of 0.973). Then, when it comes to outside bets, the difference is much higher on the French wheel.
Opt for the French Roulette wheel
American Roulette gives the house a 5.4% edge. The house edge on the French and European roulette tables is 2.7% on inside bets. If you bet on the outside bets in French Roulette, the gambling house has an edge of 1.35%. In light of this, if you want to play Roulette, the French version is the way to go. Lastly, whether looking at an online casino in the UK or a land-based casino, the data is the same.