Live French Roulette - Mon Dieu! House edge cut in half!
Introduction To Live French Roulette
French Roulette has favourable rules that reduce the house edge for all even-money bets from 2.70% to 1.35% because the Zero impacts the game less.
You're losing money if you place your even-money bets at a roulette table that doesn't use French rules. At all other roulette tables, you lose your total stake when you lose an even-money bet when the ball lands at Zero. However, with the French rule, la partage, active on a French Roulette table, you only lose half of your bet!
Characteristics of a French roulette table:
- single zero
- la partage or en prison rule
- 1.35% house edge on even-money bets
- 2.70% house edge on all other bets
Three Versions of French Roulette
You can play French Roulette in three different versions.
One is the physical Roulette you can find at land-based casinos, another is RNG roulette, and finally, there's live dealer roulette, which we will review here, as, in my opinion, it's the best version to play.
Neil’s Live French Roulette Recommendations
Your choice of where to play live french roulette is limited to the best two live casino providers. Evolution and Playtech.
Below I've listed my recommendations of casinos, where you'll be able to find and play live French Roulette online.
Good luck!
Why play Live, not RNG French roulette?
Put simply, if you're not playing live dealer roulette, you're not playing the best possible version of roulette.
RNG roulette generates numbers randomly, so you're placing bets on the outcomes of a computer program.
Most players, including myself, agree that the atmosphere and the feel of playing live dealer roulette are superior to simply placing bets on spins of a computer-generated wheel.
On the same note, finding a roulette table at a brick-and-mortar casino that uses French rules is very difficult.
I believe playing live dealer French roulette online is simply the best choice.
Live French roulette providers
It wasn't easy for me to find live French roulette playable in 2025, but fortunately, Evolution and Playtech live French tables are still available.
You can play two live French roulette games in 2025. We'll discuss their pros and cons so you can choose the correct version for yourself.
- French Roulette Gold by Evolution
- Premium French Roulette by Playtech
Evolution French Roulette Gold
Evolution French Roulette Gold comes in two playable options. The first is with a live dealer, who controls the game, spins the wheel, and flicks the ball into the wheel.
The second version is Auto French Roulette, which consists of a roulette wheel controlled by compressed air. A puff of air fires the ball into the wheel, which has been spun by a motor. The outcome is random, unlike RNG Roulette, where the result is predetermined by a computer.
French Roulette Gold by Evolution has several differences from their Live European Roulette.
First and foremost, the La Partage rule is in effect, so if you place an even-money bet and the ball lands on zero, you only lose half of your stake back.
Secondly, a slightly different table layout is used, with some bet types named in French. Instead of High and Low, you'll see Manque and Passe, Impair and Pair are self-explanatory, and call bets carry the names of Tier (Le tiers du cylindre), Orphelins, Voisins (du Zéro), and (Jeu) Zéro.
Of course, this also means that it's straightforward to place called bets. They're right there at the click of a button.
The table and surroundings are red, and the atmosphere is very similar to what you'd expect to see in an old casino. I'm enjoying this particular roulette version a lot, and it's probably among the best ones you can ever play.
What I particularly like about Evolution's French Roulette is that it uses augmented reality, which means you place your bets directly on the table that you see next to the wheel.
I think this is a perfect setup for live dealer roulette.
Playtech French Roulette
You'll find Playtech French roulette as an option on most of their live roulette tables.
Most tables have two "skins," and if the online casino has taken those options, you'll have the option to select either.
Popular versions of Playtech Roulette, like Football Roulette, Roulette Lounge, and Phoenix Roulette, all have French Roulette options.
Playtech also uses the la partage rule on their French Roulette, which means that the RTP of both Evolution and Playtech versions is the same – 98.65% – and the outcome of your bets at both tables will be identical.
Unlike Evolution, Playtech didn't find room for called bets, so they aren't readily available. The table layout is very convenient to use, and you can see other roulette tables and live dealers in the background.
In my opinion, Playtech French Roulette doesn't bring the same atmosphere Evolution does.
La Partage rule explained.
La Partage is the more common and simpler of the two rules that French Roulette can have. Note that a French roulette table can have either la partage or en prison rules, never both simultaneously.
If you played a two-sided bet (Red/Black, Odd/Even or Low/High) and the ball happened to land on Zero, instead of losing your entire stake as you would in European Roulette, you will lose only half of your stake as you'll get half of your stake back.
Playing French Roulette with the La Partage rule is a great way to reduce the losses incurred by the unfortunate situation when the Zero ruins your bet.
En Prison rule explained.
The En Prison rule is the more complex as it involves a free re-spin that will determine if your bet was won or lost. That means you won't know if you won or lost until the second spin is completed.
If you played a two-sided bet (Red/Black, Odd/Even, or Low/High) and the ball landed on Zero, your stake will be frozen. The dealer will mark the bet as being imprisoned, and the next spin will determine if the bet was won or lost.
Different casinos can have different rules for two consecutive Zeros – the bet can be treated as won, lost, another en prison, or la partage.
It's important to note that, in the long run, you will get your stake back on half of your lost even-money bets and lose the other half. Compared to la partage, which gives you half of your stake back, en prison has the same variance as even-money bets.
French Roulette RTP and House edge
It's known that Roulette has the lowest house edge of all casino games. However, the house edge can depend on the number of zeros on the wheel and on special rules.
- American Roulette (double zero): RTP 94.74%, House edge 5.26%
- European Roulette (single zero): RTP 97.30%, House edge 2.70%
- French Roulette (la partage / en prison): RTP 98.65%, House edge 1.35%
However, it is important to note that French Roulette has the same RTP as European Roulette – except when you play even money bets when la partage or en prison rules come into effect.
Mathematics of French roulette rules
In standard European Roulette, when you place an even-money bet, your chance to win it is 18 / 37 as you'll lose all 18 cases where the ball lands on the opposite outcome and the 1 case when it lands on Zero.
In French Roulette, you'll still lose the 18 cases, but when the ball lands on Zero, you will only lose half of your bet.
It is equivalent to winning 18.25 times out of 37, which means that in the long run, you'll get back 98.65 for every 100 units you wager, making the house edge 1.35%.
Which bets are affected by French rules?
Red/Black, Odd/Even, and Low/High are the three types of bets that, when played with either la partage or en prison rules, will have an RTP of 98.65% or a house edge of 1.35%. The other bets will have a house edge of 2.70%.
Impact of French rules on your strategy
In practice, French Roulette only benefits players who play two-sided bets and perhaps use some money management strategy. These players will undoubtedly make more money or lose less than in standard European Roulette.
French Roulette vs European Roulette
The only difference between French Roulette and European Roulette is what happens with the two-sided bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, or Low/High) when the ball lands on Zero.
If you aren't playing those bets, the payouts on either roulette table are the same.
If, however, you are playing two-sided bets often, or even exclusively, you will significantly benefit from the la partage or en prison (depending on the table) rules explained above as the house edge on two-sided bets reduced to half, from 2.70% on European Roulette to 1.35% on French Roulette.
French Roulette vs American Roulette
These two types of Roulette are on two opposite ends of the spectrum regarding the house edge.
Zero is the pocket that provides the casino with a house edge, and American Roulette takes this a step further, adding another Zero (00) and, therefore, doubling the house edge.
French Roulette does the opposite and reduces the house edge caused by the Zero in half (in the case of playing two-sided bets).
Conclusion
There is no doubt that French roulette is the best version of roulette you can play, especially if you're betting exclusively on even money bets.
I also think the online live dealer French roulette is superior to automated and land-based French roulette and that Evolution has a better product than Playtech.
FAQ
What is French roulette?
French roulette is based on a European single-zero wheel that uses either la partage or the en prison rule to reduce the house edge to 1.35% on even money bets.
What is the house edge of French roulette?
The House edge of French roulette is 1.35% on even money bets and 2.70% on all other bets. This means the RTP is 98.65% and 97.30% respectively.
What is the difference between French roulette and European roulette?
The only difference between French and European roulette is that French roulette adds either la partage or en prison rule. The table layouts are slightly different, with the addition of French language terms on the baize.
What is the smartest bet in roulette?
The smartest bet in roulette would be the one with the lowest house edge. The lowest house edge available is 1.35% on even money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low) on a French roulette table that uses either la partage or en prison rule.
Is la partage rule better than en prison rule?
The En Prison rule brings variance to the table, as you will either win your full stake back or will lose your full stake, depending on the outcome of the next spin. Many players believe that la partage is the better rule for the player, as you will certainly get half of your stake back when you lose an even money bet because the ball landed on zero.