La Partage - Where to play Roulette with La Partage and what Strategy to use

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What is La Partage?

La partage is a roulette table rule that gives you half of your stake back if you lose your even-money bet, such as Red/Black because the ball landed on Zero.

This rule essentially cuts the house edge in half.

The House edge of a roulette table reduces from 2.70%, the standard house edge, to 1.35%.

It only applies to even-money bets, as they trigger the rule when the ball lands on Zero.

The Zero and the House Edge

The house edge in roulette comes from having a Zero on the wheel. The Zero is not included in the numbers for any Outside Bets, so when a Zero wins, all Outside bets lose. While thirty-seven numbers are on the roulette wheel, a winning straight-up number only pays 36:1 - the Zero is ignored, again giving the house its edge.

The worst game you can play is American Roulette with 0 and 00, which doubles the house edge compared to the usual single-zero European Roulette game. The general advice is always to play the single-zero European Roulette version if you can play either game.

The rule effectively reduces the impact of having the Zero on the wheel, so playing on a French Roulette table with La Partage is the nirvana players should aim for.

The Mechanics of La Partage

The table rule will trigger for any losing even-money bet when the ball lands on Zero.

Any bet by any player that fulfils this requirement will benefit from the rule.

Bets that La Partage Applies To

• Red / Black
• Odd / Even
• High / Low

How La Partage Works on Even Money Bets

You automatically benefit from the rule if you place an even-money bet on Red, Black, Odd, Even, High or Low on a French Roulette table.

If the ball lands on Zero, you only lose half of your bet instead of losing your entire stake, with the other half returned to your balance.

The House Edge with La Partage

The house edge is cut in half with La Partage, but let's examine what that means.

House Edge in Standard Roulette

In standard roulette, if you place an even-money bet, you'd win 18 / 37 times, which is 48.65% of the time. In the long run, you'd get back 97.30 for every 100 units you wagered, which means the house edge is 2.70%.

Calculating the House Edge with La Partage

With La Partage, the calculation changes slightly.

If you place an even-money bet on roulette, of 37 possible outcomes, 18 will win your bet, 18 will lose it, and one will trigger La Partage.

So, of 19 unwanted outcomes, one would trigger the rule that gets you half of your bet back. That's 1 / 19 = 5.26%, so you can expect the rule to trigger on average once in every 20 lost bets.

You'd win 18 / 37 times with La Partage and lose half your bet 1 / 37 times, equivalent to winning 18.25 / 37 bets, which is 49.32%.

In the long run, you'd get back 98.65 units for every 100 units you wagered, which means the house edge is 1.35%.

The Advantage for the Players

The advantage is evident as you're losing less, which has a significant impact only if both of these are true:

• Even money bets are the basis of your strategy and the most common bet you place.
• You're playing a large number of spins.

If you're playing a shorter session with fewer spins and the even-money bets are not your bread and butter, it won't make much difference, as the rule won't trigger very often or at all for you.

You only see an advantage if you're playing long even-money betting sessions.

Online Casinos

La Partage is synonymous with French Roulette in online casinos. I've never seen En Prison as an option on these tables.

So, whenever you see French Roulette, it's a game with the rule.

You can find the game in RNG form, but I prefer live dealer roulette, which allows you to play roulette how it should be, with an actual wheel and ball with a croupier.

Finding La Partage in Online Roulette Games

La Partage is a rule in any online roulette game with 'French' in the title.

French Roulette Gold by Evolution and French Roulette by Playtech are the most common games in online casinos' live dealer sections, though some smaller providers probably also offer French rules.

Strategies and Systems with La Partage

Are there ways to exploit La Partage in a betting strategy? Let's take a look.

How to Use La Partage to Your Advantage

Your first step is to ensure you're playing on a table with the rule. If you're doing this, you already have an advantage. Then, you only need to forget about it and play your own game.

The Impact on Betting Strategies

You won't suddenly become a winner or stop making bad bets if you play with the rule. But it will make any even-money betting strategy look and perform better. This rule will benefit the player as long as there are enough spins for the Zero to come in many times.

If no Zeroes land during your playing session, the impact of La Partage will only be theoretical as it won't affect your bankroll compared to the standard game of roulette.

Progressive Betting Systems

Any betting system that relies on placing even-money bets will be twice as profitable in the long run with La Partage as opposed to a standard roulette table.

Progressive betting systems such as Martingale, Labouchère, Fibonacci, and D'Alembert, as well as negative progressive betting systems, will all benefit, and their expected ROI will rise accordingly because the game rules are more favourable.

Do note that all progressive betting systems in roulette are still a road to ruin; it's just that the ruin will come slower if you're playing at a French Roulette table.

Combining La Partage with Straight-Up Bets

In general, one of the most popular strategies in roulette is to cover a large portion of the wheel, usually by placing an even-money bet to cover half of it, with several straight-up number bets on the remaining numbers.

With La Partage, you're covering the Zero with a 'lose only half of your bet' rule, pushing you in the right direction regarding the other 18 numbers you want to cover with straight-up, split or corner bets.

It would work like a charm in multiplier roulette games, but sadly, none offer the rule.

La Partage vs En Prison

La Partage is one of two French Roulette rules that cut the house edge on even-money bets in half. The other is En Prison. The effect on the house edge and the strategy is the same, but the two rules get there differently.

If you're playing at an En Prison French Roulette table, when you lose an even-money bet because the ball landed on Zero, your bet will be 'imprisoned' for an additional spin.

In essence, you will automatically place a bet of the same size and spin the wheel again. You will win or lose the next spin - or enter 'imprisonment' again.

It's impractical in roulette games with multiple players, which is rare in land-based and online casinos. La Partage is always the first choice, no matter who you ask.

Conclusion: The Significance of La Partage in Roulette

La Partage is a rare case of a favourable roulette rule. It's the only one different from the norm until multiplier roulette games came along.

However, it remains a niche market for cunning roulette players looking to reduce the house edge.

Origin and History

Roulette, a traditional casino game found in early gambling establishments in France, dates back to the 18th century. During this period, La Partage and En Prison rules were introduced to enhance the game's appeal to a mass audience.

These rules are believed to have been first implemented in French casinos during the 19th century. When roulette started spreading worldwide, the rules didn't find their way to roulette tables, so they became synonymous with French-style roulette and were distinguished from other variants.

If you're playing with the La Partage rule, you're playing the same game the French gamblers played in the 19th century!

The Future of La Partage in Casinos

I don't see it ever having the popularity it deserves because the players don't seem to care. They seem to fail to understand how favourable the rule is. The casinos won't implement the rule unless the players ask for it—why would they?

I expect it to remain a niche market, and that's not bad. You can pick a La Partage roulette table and lose less while everyone else plays the standard European Roulette.