French roulette does not have one house-edge number for every wager. With a 37-pocket wheel and standard payouts, most bets carry a 2.7027% house edge. Qualifying even-money bets can fall to 1.35135% when zero is settled under La Partage or an economically equivalent French rule.
The lower number does not apply to straight numbers, splits, streets, corners, six-lines, dozens, columns, or wheel-section call bets. It applies only when the table’s zero rule protects red/black, odd/even, and low/high wagers.
Start with the 37-pocket wheel
A traditional French roulette wheel has numbers 1–36 plus one zero. For a conventional bet covering (n) numbers, the payout is set as though there were only 36 possible outcomes. The extra zero creates the casino advantage.
For a straight-up bet:
[ EV=\left(\frac{1}{37}\times35\right)+\left(\frac{36}{37}\times-1\right) =-\frac{1}{37} ]
The expected loss is therefore:
[ H=\frac{1}{37}=0.027027\ldots=2.7027% ]
The same result appears on ordinary splits, streets, corners, six-lines, dozens, and columns because their standard payouts preserve the same one-unit shortfall across 37 equally likely pockets.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Standard profit payout | House edge on one-zero wheel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Six-line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 2.7027% |
| Even-money without protection | 18 | 1 to 1 | 2.7027% |
Coverage changes hit frequency and volatility, not the percentage cost of these standard bets.
Why half-loss treatment cuts the edge in half
An even-money bet covers 18 numbers. On ordinary single-zero roulette it wins on 18 pockets and loses on 19, because zero is a full loss:
[ EV=\frac{18-19}{37}=-\frac{1}{37} ]
Under La Partage, zero loses only half the stake:
[ EV=\left(\frac{18}{37}\times1\right) +\left(\frac{18}{37}\times-1\right) +\left(\frac{1}{37}\times-0.5\right) =-\frac{1}{74} ]
Therefore:
[ H=\frac{1}{74}=1.35135% ]
The probability of red, black, odd, even, low, or high has not improved. The payout rule has changed the size of the loss when zero appears.
The “French” label is not enough
A table can look French because it has French-language labels, a large double-sided layout, announced wheel-sector bets, or a single-zero wheel. None of those visual features alone proves that the player receives La Partage or En Prison.
Before using the 1.35% figure, verify all three conditions:
- The wheel has 37 pockets, not 38 or 39.
- The wager is one of the qualifying even-money chances.
- The published zero rule returns half the stake or provides the stated En Prison treatment.
If the table has one zero but every outside bet loses in full on zero, the edge is 2.7027%. If it has 0 and 00, the ordinary edge is 5.2632% regardless of French-looking graphics.
This is the main practical distinction between this page and the broader French roulette rules guide: the layout identifies the game family, but settlement identifies the price.
En Prison requires the exact second-zero rule
Under En Prison, a qualifying even-money stake is held after zero rather than immediately settled. A later winning color, parity, or range may release the stake without profit; a losing result forfeits it.
The exact edge depends on what happens if zero appears again. Some rules continue the prison state, some reduce the stake’s remaining value, and some treat a second zero as a full loss. Those versions are not mathematically identical.
For that reason, do not write “En Prison is always 1.35%” without reading the rule. The detailed derivations are in En Prison House Edge — 1.35% or 1.39%?. The direct half-return version is covered separately in House Edge With La Partage.
French law provides a useful real-world reference
France’s current casino rules specify a 36-number-and-zero wheel for French roulette. They also describe the player’s zero options on simple chances: take back half the stake or leave the full stake “en prison,” with further treatment when zero repeats. The relevant provisions appear in the official French roulette regulations on Légifrance.
That official rule is valuable evidence for what regulated French roulette can mean in France. It should not be assumed to govern an online title or a casino in another country. Local approved rules control the actual game.
Call bets do not receive a secret lower edge
French-style tables often allow announced sector bets such as Voisins du Zéro, Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins, and Jeu Zéro. These are packages of straight and split wagers covering neighboring sections of the wheel.
When every component uses standard single-zero payouts, the package retains the 2.7027% edge on total action. The distribution of wins changes because some numbers carry more chips than others, but the call-bet name does not create a discount.
Suppose a sector call requires nine chips. The expected loss per completed call is:
[ EL=9\times\frac{1}{37}=0.24324\text{ chips} ]
At $5 per chip, that is approximately $1.22 expected loss each time the full nine-chip call is booked. The actual result can be a large win or a full loss; expected loss is the long-run average, not a prediction of the next spin.
RTP, house edge, hit rate, and table hold are different
The reciprocal-looking figures are:
- 2.7027% house edge corresponds to 97.2973% theoretical RTP;
- 1.35135% house edge corresponds to 98.64865% theoretical RTP.
RTP is the long-run share of action returned under the stated wager and rule. It is not the chance of winning a spin. An even-money bet wins on 18 of 37 pockets, or about 48.65%, even when La Partage applies. The improved RTP comes from losing less on zero, not from creating another winning pocket.
Casino table hold is also a different measure. Hold usually compares actual casino win with player buy-ins over a reporting period. It can move sharply because of session length, re-buys, credit, chip walk, bet size, and short-term luck. A French roulette table can show a high or low daily hold without changing its mathematical 1.35% or 2.70% edge.
Fractional settlement can affect practical table choice
A half-loss rule must be operationally payable. If a player wagers an odd number of the smallest-value chips, the table needs a stated method for the half unit: make change, require even units on qualifying bets, use a smaller denomination, or apply another approved procedure.
The mathematical edge assumes exact half settlement. Rounding every $5 stake to a $2 return rather than $2.50 would make the game more expensive; rounding to $3 would make it cheaper. A regulated table should not improvise this. Before betting, verify minimums and how the casino handles a stake that cannot be divided exactly.
Do not double-count an imprisoned wager as fresh action
When a stake remains en prison, the player has not necessarily made another cash wager for the resolving spin. The original stake is still pending under the rule. Treating the prison-resolution spin as a second $10 wager can distort session RTP and expected-loss calculations.
A clean record separates:
- new money staked on the current spin;
- stakes carried forward in prison;
- released stakes returned without profit;
- stakes lost under the resolution rule.
This accounting point is one reason published En Prison edges can appear inconsistent: analysts may use different definitions of action or different repeated-zero rules.
A 100-spin cost comparison
Assume a player wagers $10 per spin for 100 spins. Total action is $1,000.
| Wager and rule | House edge | Expected loss on $1,000 action |
|---|---|---|
| Straight, split, street, dozen, or column | 2.7027% | $27.03 |
| Even-money, zero loses in full | 2.7027% | $27.03 |
| Even-money with La Partage | 1.35135% | $13.51 |
| Double-zero standard roulette | 5.2632% | $52.63 |
The comparison does not say the player will lose those exact amounts. A 100-spin session is far too short for the result to settle near expectation reliably. It shows the price of action under each rule.
Lower edge does not mean low session risk
Even-money bets with a 1.35% edge still have near-even win and loss swings. A player can lose many units in a short session despite choosing the cheapest standard roulette wager.
Inside bets have the same 2.70% percentage edge as ordinary outside bets but much higher variance. Covering more numbers can make wins more frequent while increasing the amount exposed each spin. No staking progression changes the underlying expected value.
A sensible table-choice order is therefore:
- choose one zero rather than two or three;
- confirm La Partage or the exact En Prison rule;
- use qualifying even-money bets if minimizing house edge is the objective;
- compare total amount wagered, not just the number of spins;
- treat announced sector bets as bundles, not as special-value wagers.
French roulette offers one of the best standard roulette prices only under the right combination of wheel and zero settlement. The accurate statement is: 2.7027% on conventional single-zero bets, reduced to 1.35135% on qualifying even-money wagers when the half-loss rule applies.