French Roulette Strategy
French roulette uses the European wheel - 37 pockets, single zero - but adds two optional rules that cut the house edge on even-money bets. The most common is La Partage, sometimes paired with En Prison.
With La Partage active, even-money bets carry a 1.35% house edge. That is the lowest standard edge available in roulette, which is why it is the smartest table for any 1:1 strategy test.
What La Partage does
When zero hits on an even-money bet (red, black, odd, even, low, high), La Partage gives you back half your stake instead of taking the whole thing.
Over many spins this halves the cost of the zero on those bets. The edge drops from 2.70% to 1.35%.
What En Prison does
En Prison is a slightly different version. When zero hits, your bet is 'imprisoned' for one more spin. If your bet wins on the next spin, you get your stake back (no profit). If it loses, you lose the full stake.
Mathematically equivalent to La Partage on the long run - both yield 1.35% house edge on 1:1 bets.
What the rules do NOT change
These rules only apply to even-money bets. Dozens, columns, six lines, splits, corners and straight-up bets keep the full 2.70% European edge.
If you only play single numbers on French roulette, you are not getting any benefit. La Partage rewards even-money play specifically.
Strategy implications
Even-money progression systems benefit the most. On a $10 base bet running 100 spins of flat red:
European - expected loss ~$27. French with La Partage - expected loss ~$13.50.
For Martingale, the lower loss probability shortens average losing streaks. For Oscar's Grind, cycle completion gets a touch easier.
Where to find French roulette
French roulette is common in European casinos (Monte Carlo is the canonical example) and in many online lobbies. The table will be labelled French Roulette or sometimes 'European with La Partage'.
Always check the table rules. Some 'French' tables only offer La Partage on a subset of bets, or only when the table minimum is met.
Note on the simulator
The current version of the Roulette Strategy Tester supports European and American wheels. French roulette with La Partage is on the roadmap. Until then, run even-money strategies on European and mentally halve the expected loss to get a fair French estimate.