Live French Roulette – The Best Roulette Variant in Online Casinos Explained

Every fan of roulette is probably aware that European tables with a single Zero are always better than their American counterparts. Fewer Zeroes mean you’re more likely to win most bets – it’s that simple. But what if there’s an even better option? Enter French Roulette, the best variant of live casino roulette with up to 98.65% RTP!

But what is French Roulette and how is it different from other types of the game? We’ll answer that question in this article and point you to the best live French roulette games online. We’ll find out where, how, and why you should play live French roulette.

French Roulette, the best variant of live casino roulette with up to 98.65% RTP!

Table of Contents

What Is French Roulette?

Classic roulette is generally available in three distinct variants – American, European, and French. Some modern variations of the game steer away from these established norms, but we’ll stick to the three classic options.

French Roulette is functionally very similar to European roulette, except that it also includes two special rules called La Partage and En Prison. Note that a single table can only use La Partage or En Prison, but never both. We’ll get into that later.

The majority of live casino roulette games are either American or European. We have discussed the differences between the two extensively. The gist is simple – American roulette wheels have two green Zero pockets while European ones only have a single Zero. This makes the latter objectively better for players.

Similarly, live French roulette tables have only a single Zero. This means that the baseline RTP of most available bets is 97.30%, with a 2.70% house edge across the board. You can find out more about how RTP in roulette works in our tutorial for the game.

However, thanks to the two rules we just mentioned, even-money bets in French Roulette have a house edge of just 1.35%, which is half that of other bets.

So what are these French roulette rules and how do they work?

La Partage in Roulette Explained

La Partage is a relatively common rule found in French roulette. It means that you get half of your stake back if you lose an even-money bet due to the ball landing on Zero.

To elaborate, even-money bets in roulette are two-sided wagers with a 1:1 payout. In other words, this rule only applies to bets like Red, Black, Odd, Even, Low, and High. If you need to freshen up your knowledge of bets in roulette and how they work, check out this article.

Anyway, if you place such a bet and the ball lands in the green Zero pocket, you get half your stake back. As you may know, the house edge in roulette exists purely because of that green Zero. That’s why the house edge of even money bets in French roulette is halved (and it’s also why the house edge of American roulette is doubled.)

En Prison in Roulette Explained

Alternatively, a French roulette table may use the En Prison rule instead of the La Partage rule. It’s comparatively more complicated, but it essentially achieves the same thing as La Partage.

En Prison is a rule in some French roulette tables that kicks in if you bet on an even-money bet and the result of the spin is a Zero. In this scenario, your stake is ‘frozen’ – you haven’t won or lost the bet yet, but you can’t take your buy-in back. Instead, the croupier spins the wheel again to determine the outcome of your wager.

This second spin can either win or lose, as usual. Essentially, you get a ‘do-over’ if your even money bet loses to a Zero.

Again, even money bets in roulette include Red, Black, Even, Odd, Low, and High. Only these bets are affected by the En Prison rule. All other types of bets work as they usually would in European roulette.

If this re-spin also hits a Zero, different casinos handle things in different ways. Some casinos consider the bet won, others consider it lost, while some simply do another En Prison until they hit a different number. Lastly, some tables will simply pay half your stake back like with La Partage.

Which is Better – En Prison or La Partage?

Since a single table can only use one rule the other, the question of which is better naturally arises.

Both La Partage and En Prison increase the RTP of even money bets in French roulette to 98.65%. They are equal in that regard.

There’s an easy explanation, too. En Prison gives you a 50/50 shot at winning your money back, while La Partage simply gives you back half. Statistically speaking, both of these rules are equally good. In terms of expected value, both solutions are identical. If you want to know more about how that works, check out our guide to expected value in gambling.

Theoretically, if a casino had a rule in place that considers a double zero result in En Prison a won bet, it would have slightly higher RTP. However, this is both extremely rare and almost insignificant, so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.

Keeping it Simple

Although La Partage and En Prsion have similar results in terms of RTP, most players prefer La Partage because it's a more streamlined rule.

Where to Play Live French Roulette

You can play French roulette online in many forms and formats. RNG-based solutions are widely available these days in almost all online casinos.

However, we firmly believe that playing roulette live with real dealers is the best way to enjoy the game short of going to a brick-and-mortar casino. It simply provides the best immersion and feels much closer to the ‘real thing.’ Furthermore, live French roulette games are rare but incredible in terms of quality.

If you want to play French roulette live, you have two major options from two major software providers.

French Roulette Gold by Evolution
Live French Roulette by Playtech

We’ll go through a short overview of both options below. You can click on the game title to read our full review of the game, which includes an in-depth guide for playing. We’ll also include links to casinos that offer Live French Roulette right now.

French Roulette Gold by Evolution

If you ever checked out a live casino before, you’ve probably heard of Evolution. Their games are arguably the easiest to find online, so we’ll start with the single Live French Roulette game offered in the Evolution portfolio.

French Roulette Gold looks great, feels responsive to play, and boasts an authentic Monte Carlo atmosphere. Most importantly, it features the La Partage rule, which we’ve described above.

It’s probably the best live roulette game to play if you enjoy betting on even money bets. Check out one of the offers below if you want to play French Roulette Gold right now.

Live French Roulette by Playtech

Playtech’s take on a roulette table with La Partage is hands-down Evolution’s only real competition. Overall, it’s slightly less “polished” but has a few other advantages.

Namely, you can opt to play with French rules on pretty much any Playtech variant of roulette. This includes flavors like Football Roulette, Roulette Lounge, and others.

Playtech also uses La Partage, which means it has the same high RTP of 98.65%.

Click on one of the offers below to find and play Playtech Live French Roulette right now.

Conclusion

In terms of long-term profitability, French Roulette is objectively the best version of the game to play either online or otherwise. New types of this popular game have been introduced over the years, but none can match that 98.65% RTP.

Of course, the problem with live French roulette is that the special rules only apply to a handful of functionally identical bets. Repeatedly playing even money wagers is a strategically sound decision, but we wouldn’t call it exciting. Furthermore, it’s a shame that you can’t play roulette live with En Prison rules. At least not at the moment.

However, if you’re concerned with house advantage and expected value (and you should be), there’s no better option on the market.

FAQ

What is French Roulette?

French Roulette is a variant of roulette that uses a European wheel and also introduces the La Partage and/or En Prison rules.

Why is French roulette the best?

Because the En Prison and La Partage rules increase the RTP of roulette to 98.65%. Every other variant of the game has a higher house advantage.

How is French roulette different?

Compared to European roulette, the only difference is the use of La Partage/En Prison. Compared to American roulette, it features only a single green Zero pocket on the wheel.

How do you win French roulette?

The best strategy for French roulette is simple – always bet on even money wagers. Only play Red, Black, Odd, Even, Low, or High bets. Only these bets take advantage of En Prison/La Partage, so they’re the only ones with 98.65% RTP.

Live French Roulette – The Best Roulette Variant in Online Casinos Explained

What Is French Roulette?

La Partage in Roulette Explained

En Prison in Roulette Explained

Which is Better – En Prison or La Partage?

Keeping it Simple

Where to Play Live French Roulette

French Roulette Gold by Evolution

Live French Roulette by Playtech

Conclusion

Further Reading:

FAQ

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