If you’ve played at an online casino before, you will probably have noticed that European and French Roulette are rather similar. Unlike American Roulette, they both have a single zero pocket and are nearly identical, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, French Roulette is arguably the more favourable of the two games. Why is this the case? Join us as we explore the little-known differences between European and French Roulette.
French Betting Terms
The first key difference between European and French roulette games is the language used. While European Roulette’s bets appear in English, the same cannot be said for French Roulette. There, the bets clearly pop up in French. It can take a while for you to get used to them, but they do stand out as a key difference between the two games.
The Racetrack
Another key difference between European Roulette and French Roulette is the use of the racetrack. Now, admittedly, some European Roulette games have been known to feature a racetrack. However, that won’t be the case for most of them. Furthermore, the racetrack usually appears with French betting names, including Orphelins, Tiers du Cylindre, Jeu Zéro, and Voisins du Zéro. Racetrack bets allow you to cover the wheel.
En Prison
French Roulette games come with the En Prison rule, and not many European Roulette games will dare to include this. In short, the En Prison rule allows you to survive landing on a zero, albeit temporarily. What happens is that if you land on the zero, your bet is frozen for the next spin. If you should win your next spin, your bet will be returned. If you fail, you’ll lose both bets.
La Partage
The La Partage rule is also only found in French Roulette (for the most part) and works in a similar way to the En Prison rule. In short, it means you’re not completely out of luck if you land on the zero. Some even say that the La Partage rule is fairer than En Prison, but that’s for you to decide. Ultimately, if you land on the zero, you will receive half your bet back.
A Lower House Edge
The En Prison and La Partage rules are considered the most important differences between European and French Roulette. This isn’t just because they allow you to potentially recoup your loss or half your loss. It is because they lower the house edge by doing so.
While everybody is familiar with European Roulette having half the house edge of American Roulette (2.70% to 5.26%), French Roulette goes one further. It lowers the house edge from 2.7% to 1.35%. If you want to improve your chances of staying in the game and not coughing up as much cash to the casino, French Roulette is clearly more favourable to roulette players than its counterparts.
