| Updated: October 2, 2024Roulette is a staple game offered at every virtual and land-based casino. The game has been around for over two centuries and France is believed to be the country it originated from. The popularity of the game spread like a wildfire as roulette features straightforward rules and a ton of excitement. Over the years, different roulette variations were created to please the needs of all kinds of players.
Nowadays, you will come across dozens of roulette titles but three are the major roulette variations – European, French, and American. European Roulette is the most sought-after variant of the game and we will discuss it in detail in this article.
- High Stakes Roulette
- Low Limit Roulette
- Fibonacci Roulette System
- Parlay Roulette System
- Martingale Roulette System
- Inside Bets
- Outside Bets
- Roulette Rules
- Roulette Strategies
- American Roulette
- French Roulette
- American and European Wheel Sequences
- Roulette – From a Perpetual Motion Machine to a Casino Landmark
- Roulette Basics and Rules of Table Conduct
- Roulette's Bet Types
- The French Roulette Layout
- Independent Trials, Odds, and Casino Edge in Roulette
- En Prison and La Partage
- Taking Your Roulette Game to the Next Level with Call Bets
- The Many Faces of Roulette – Interesting Variations to Try
- Progressive Roulette Systems
- Reading Biased Wheels and Other Predictive Methods
- The Master of the Wheel Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo
- Improving Your Roulette Game
- Dispelling Roulette Myths
- How to Protect a Roulette Bankroll
- Software Providers of Online Roulette
- Roulette Games with Progressive Jackpots
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Roulette Goes Mobile
- Roulette in Literature, Film, and Television
The “En Prison” and “La Partage” Rules
As their names suggest, the “En Prison” and “La Partage” rules are inherent to French Roulette. However, many European roulette variations also feature these special rules that slash the house edge to a whopping 1.35%. These rules come into play only when you have placed an even-money bet and the result of the spin is zero.
La Partage
En PrisonLa Partage
The “La Partage” rule allows roulette fans to keep 50% of their even-money bets if the ball comes to rest in the zero-numbered pocket. The other 50% of the bets go to the house and the game continues as usual.
En Prison
The “En Prison” rule provides players with the opportunity to rescue their stakes instead of recovering only half of them. In a nutshell, if you make an even-money bet and the result of the spin is zero, then your bet will be “imprisoned” for the next spin. If the bet wins, you will recover your wager. But if it loses, the casino will forfeit it.
Types of Bets
As we already hinted above, roulette has easy-to-grasp rules. What may confuse novice players is the various types of bets it offers. Generally speaking, we can outline two main categories of roulette bets – inside and outside. Inside bets are placed on the inner section of the betting area. These offer a higher payout but a lower chance of winning.
Outside bets are placed on a broader category of numbers. Hence, you have a better chance of winning but the payout is lower. In the lines below we will discuss the different types of inside and outside bets and their payouts.
Outside Bets Inside BetsOutside Bets
- Column Bet – this kind of bet covers 12 numbers, which is almost ⅓ of the wheel. The probability of success is 12/37 = 0.3243 x 100 = 32.43% and the payout is 2:1.
- Dozen Bet – the betting layout is divided into three boxes each consisting of 12 numbers. The first box includes the numbers from 1 to 12, the second box covers the numbers from 13 to 24, and the third box includes the numbers from 25 to 36. The probability of success is again 32.43% and the payout is 2:1.
- Red/Black Bet – players can bet on all red or black numbers. The European roulette wheel has 18 red and 18 black numbers, meaning that the probability of success is 18/37 = 0.4864 x 100 = 48.64%. The payout is 1:1.
- Odd/Even Bet – roulette fans can place bets on all odd or even numbers. The European roulette wheel features 18 odd and 18 even numbers. Therefore, the probability of winning is 48.64% and the payout is 1:1.
- Low/High Bet – this bet covers 18 numbers. The low numbers are from 1 to 18, while the high numbers are from 19 to 36. The probability of success is 48.64% and the payout is 1:1.
Inside Bets
- Straight-Up Bet – this is the riskiest roulette bet as it is placed on a single number. Hence, the probability of winning is 1/37 = 0.0270 x 100 = 2.70%. The payout is 35:1.
- Split Bet – it is placed on two adjacent numbers. The probability of success is 2/37 = 0.0540 x 100 = 5.41% and the payout is 17:1.
- Street Bet – this kind of bet is placed on three numbers appearing in a row. If you place a street bet, the probability of winning is 3/37 = 0.081 x 100 = 8.1%. Winning street bets are paid out 11:1.
- Corner Bet – it covers four numbers in a row (for example 5, 6, 8, and 9). To make a corner bet, you have to place the chips on the corner where the four numbers touch each other. The probability of winning is 4/37 = 0.1081 x 100 = 10.81%. The payout for winning this bet is 8:1.
- Line Bet – roulette fans have the opportunity to place bets on two rows of three numbers. To do so, players have to place chips at the end of the selected two rows. The probability of winning this bet is 6/37 = 0.1622 x 100 = 16.22% and the payout is 5:1.