French roulette uses a wheel and betting layout that is of a European origin and is played with a single wheel. The European wheel has 37 slots with the numbers 1 to 36. French roulette uses a betting layout that allows players to make chip bets on either the inside bets or outside bets.
There are two types of inside bets that chip layouts use and they are the Elgordo and the En Prison rules. The Elgordo layout works with numbers that are located to the immediate left of the zero slot. What happens in this layout is that a player can either bet on red, black, odd or even as well as parts of a specific range. In the En Prison rules found on the layout however, a player is only able to bet on the areas outside 1 to 18 and it further allows the player to have the chance to not take the losses if the ball lands on the zero.
The third type of inside bet available in French roulette is the Orphelins. The Orphelins, which are named after a German town, allow a player to make a monetary addition to the chips they have when the ball lands on the zero. This bet is placed outside of the main area where you place your straight bet.
The payout for each type of inside bet is different and each slot will offer different combination of bets that can earn you some winnings or losses. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the house rules and payouts of French roulette a priori.
Outside Bets
There are many outside bets that you can bet on in French roulette and three of these types are the Retard, French Curve and the Whirl bets.
The Retard bet allows you to place a bet on the numbers that should appear after the 0 or 00 ends up as the ball drops. This can work in either even or odd numbers. If the ball drops on the Retard bet area, you win the equivalent sum. The French Curve is a type of bet where you can bet on different pockets that a ball may land in. This is similar to the En Prison rules in that you can bet on different areas of the table layout.
Whirl bet, unlike the other two, allows a player to bet on the outcome of the movement of the ball between different sections of the wheel. This is an extremely popular bet and some people powerful. You can place your bet on the numbers in the middle of the wheel as well as on the edges.
After you place your bet, the dealer will spin the wheel again and the ball will eventually drop in the wheel. The wheel is in turn and the ball usually has a stop at each of the 38 numbered pockets. If the ball lands on your number or you have placed one of your bets, you will win the amount that you bet.
The payout for this type of bet is 35 to 1.
Betting on the Odds
For those who are less confident in making a roulette bet, there is another betting option available in French Roulette. This is the Half way bet. In this bet a player can bet on the possibility that the ball will land on any of the even numbered numbers in the wheel. The bet is placed on the strongest area of the wheel, either the high or low numbers. The payout for this type of bet is 11 to 1.
The best way to learn how to play the French roulette wheel is to take advantage of the online gaming sites. Here you can play roulette in learning mode in order to develop your strategies and improve your technique.