Oh, the beautiful game of roulette.
Despite being one of the most popular choices in the world of casino games, roulette is still considered to be quite mysterious. And precisely therein lies the main allure of the game – in the delicate mystery hidden in the seams of the game from start to finish, and so explaining why roulette is so intriguing would take days. However, there are some things definitely worth explaining – strategies, tips, and most definitely, rules and bets.
No matter which variation you prefer, some interesting bets and rules are applicable in any casino you step in or log in.
Adding another layer of mystery to roulette, several bets with French names are available for players that wish to spice up their game. Thus, we decided to present you with a small glossary of French roulette terms which will one day undoubtedly come in handy. The following terms represent the only French words you’ll need when you join a roulette table.
La Partage
La Partage or the Divide is quite popular with players in Europe, and casinos in France typically use it by default. Both La Partage and En Prison are available only for even money bets (red/black, even/odd, high/low).
What happens with La Partage is that, when the ball lands on the zero, all even money bets are split in half where one half goes to the house and the other one is returned to the player. This way, the house edge is significantly lowered, and players have higher chances of winning.
En Prison
Just like La Partage,En Prison is available typically in the European version of roulette and is valid only for even money bets. However, there are some differences. Namely, if a player decides to use this bet, he basically puts his bet in prison, i.e. risks the bet for two spins of the wheel. If the ball lands on the zero, the player does not lose everything, but can potentially still win if the ball lands where he placed his bet in the next spin.
For example, if he bets on “Even”, a zero followed by an even number in the next spin means that he has won, and he will receive the full amount. If the zero is followed by an odd number, he will lose it all. In most casinos in France, La Partage is in effect by default, and players who wish to use this rule need to opt for it.
Orphelins
This translates into Orphans. Orphelins is a bet placed in the area not included in the previous two options, i.e. 17, 34, 6 and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9. Five betting units are needed, with one placed as a Straight on 1 and four chips that are positioned on the Splits 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 and 31/34.
Should any of them result in a win, you will be paid double the amount you placed as the initial stake.
Tiers du Cylindre
In other words, Tiers du Cylindre is what we call Third of the Wheel, or just Tiers. This bet covers a third of the wheel on the opposite side of the zero (approximately) and includes the sequence 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, and 33.
Placing this bet is simple and rewarding. With only 6 betting units, 12 numbers are covered. One chip is placed per split, and they are Splits 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30 and 33/36. The winning bets pay out three times the original stake.
Voisins du Zero
The literal translation would be Neighbours of Zero. This specific term refers to the 17 numbers positioned close to the zero on both sides, i.e. from 22 to 25 (those two included). The entire set is sequenced thus: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, and 25.
To place a Voisins du Zero bet, you will have nine betting units at your disposal. Those are placed in the following manner: two on the O, two as a trio, one on the 4/7 Split, one on 12/15, one on 18/21, one on 19/22, two on the corner of 25/26/28/29 and one on the 32/35.
Any winning bet will come back as double the initial stake.