Where can I play the French roulette
Today, French roulette has become less popular. It was replaced by the American and British ways of playing. However, in some casinos in Europe and the US which are honouring gambling traditions, this type of casino games still can be found. The game has gained a special popularity in the Principality of Monaco, where became the crown of gambling in Monte Carlo casino.
While real casinos add to its range younger and popular versions of the game, French roulette is played in web casinos. Casinos offer French roulette on a par with other variations. Most of the sites offer the opportunity to bet rotating the oldest version of Wheel of Fortune, consisting of black and red sectors and a green sector zero.
History of French Roulette
Researchers of gambling trace French roulette game origins to the days of ancient civilisations. Something like this existed in China and ancient Greece BC. However, no direct link between ancient gambling entertainment and the French roulette was found. That’s why the appearance of the game should be considered individually as a separate phenomenon.
Gambling and science: Pascal's contribution to the development of the game
It is believed that the first and the simplest version of the roulette was invented by none other than the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal in the XVII century. At that time, he was engaged in experiments to create a perpetual motion machine. And even he did not succeed in this case, he gave the world a flat rotating disk similar to spinning top, that afterwards was divided into sectors and adapted for the game.
Roulette, as it stands, (the nearest version of French roulette), the game appeared in the late eighteenth century in Paris. The truth is, at first roulette sectors had only two colours: red and black. Green, to indicate the sector zero, appeared only at the beginning of the XIX century.
Enterprising brothers Blanc
The final version of French roulette game is designed by brothers Louis and Francois Blanc. For the first time, the game appeared in gambling venues of Germany as gambling had been banned on the territory of France by the time the roulette was completed.
In 1842, Blanc offered a roulette French classic with one zero and special bets where a player was able to play against a casino. The disc of the new French roulette contained sectors with numbers from 1 to 36. The 37th green sector was meant for a zero.
The game became widespread in Monaco, where it was brought by Francois Blanc. With the support of the royal family, he organised the first gambling venue in Monte Carlo, making French roulette game the main and most exciting table game of the state. From Monaco, it has spread rapidly gaining popularity in Europe and the United States.
In the time of occurrence of the roulette, there were rumours that brothers Blanc had sold their souls for the invention of gamesthat had conquered the world. The basis of this myth implies the roulette disk, the sum of all the numbers of which is equal to 666, which is considered the number of the devil.
Roulette modifications during the spread
While spreading, some nuances of the roulette have changed. Soon, a roulette variation with two zeros emerged, that has gained popularity in America. A roulette with an eagle on one of the sectors was popular during some period there.
This symbol gave a great advantage to casinos: if the ball stayed on the eagle, the dealer would take all chips from a player. However, these roulette terms French did not live until today, it came out of use almost immediately after the emergence.
French roulette varieties
Casino online and land-based gambling venues offer two main types of French roulette. The principle of the game is constant, though numerical values and the number of sectors zero can alter. Thus, casinos offer:
- roulette with one zero (the disk contains sectors with numerical values from 1 to 36 and one sector zero);
- roulette with two zeros (this roulette has one extra sector, which is 38 sectors in total instead of 37).
The number of zeros on the French roulette wheel affects the casino's advantage over the player. If the ball lands on the green sector, all players are written off in favour of a gambling club. The more zeros on the disk, the greater the chance that the money will be gambled away.
The role of a croupier in French Roulette
The dealer in the game is not just a counting machine and not just a person who moves the columns of chips over the table and takes bets. It is not an addition to the rotating wheel, that replaces the automatic spinning. This is a person who influences every game event, including taking bets, rotating the reel, the moment when the ball stops on a particular sector and payouts.
Keep in mind, that the dealer is not interested neither in player’s winning nor in casino’s. He acts in line with the instructions clearly and in accordance with the rules of the roulette. But the human factor often affects the outcome of a spin. A dealer is a person interested in the work, the croupier’s chief (casino owner) is interested in profit. This is the reason why a dealer may receive an order not to take bets from an especially lucky player or reduce his winnings.
Dealer’s capabilities in the game:
- Throwing the ball on a rotating roulette reel. The first thing a dealer working with an online roulette is studying how to run the ball right. In this case, “right” implies “beneficial to a casino”. Trained dealer knows in advance in which sector the ball will stop within two-three sectors. However, this action is performed purely mechanically eventually. And observant players get enough statistical data for future successful bets.
- Replacing the ball during the game. Every dealer has a few balls of different weight in his arsenal and therefore of different movement speed. Changing the ball during the game, the dealer influences the outcome of a spin, making it more predictable for a casino and less predictable for a player.
If the dealer's work seems not credible enough to a player, it is possible to eliminate the human factor playing French roulette online. However, be aware that the dealer is not directly interested in the losing or winning of a player. The outcome of the game does not affect the salary, and therefore the dealer has no additional motivation to contribute to client’s loss.
French Roulette strategies
Any gambling game sooner or later causes a natural question: whether there is a strategy, sequence of actions and system of calculating that would ensure the victory of a player and help him to become French roulette pro. In general, there is no single strategy that would guarantee absolute success. However, experienced players facing with certain patterns of the game are willing to share their experience. They write books and offer fans of gambling options, that increase the chances to get the win.
Roulette strategies can bring some results. Among them, the most popular are:
- basic strategy;
- calculation strategy;
- specific betting strategy;
- Fibonacci strategy;
- Labouchere system;
- D'Alembert system.
Basic strategy
At the core of basic strategy, there is nothing more than the awareness of the player. Rouletteis a game where the player cannot show his skills in any way and influence the outcome. There is no possibility of bluffing or collecting winning combinations in French roulette table game, even cheating won’t work. All the player can do is to put money on a particular field and hope for good luck.
This strategy, first of all, involves controlling bets and rational allocation of resources. That is, the focus is more on insurance than on win, which makes it less probable to lose more than the player can afford. So, general tips of basic roulette strategy are:
- Prefer the game with one zero. Here, a casino’s advantage is not more than 3%.
- Control your capabilities:
- determine the sum which you can play for in advance;
- set objectives – what do you think is the minimum gain to stop playing;
- reasonably choose the size of bets;
Calculation strategy
Playing in the Casino of Monte Carlo in 1873, Joseph Jagger suggested that with each new spin a chance of the ball to stop on the sector zero increases. Therefore, you can try to predict where the ball will land on the basis of the disk rotation speed.
Subsequently, an electronic device had been designed, which could calculate the position of the ball basing on the data entered. However, once casinos’ owners became aware of its existence, entrance control increased. Today, the strategy has become a part of history, and most casinos forbid even to use a phone in order to avoid the use of software to calculate the results of French roulette bets.
Betting strategy
A special strategy for allocation of bets was developed by players a long time. Experienced gamblers have already written several monographs on this subject, proving such a strategy. However, it has pitfalls and niceties, which reduce its efficiency.
Martingale strategy
Martingale’s strategy implies raising the bet twice after each losing spin. Thus, with the first lucky spin, the player gets the opportunity to win back all lost money.
Fibonacci strategy
Fibonacci strategy is an alternative betting strategy. It is based on the sequence of Fibonacci numbers, which acts as a factor in relation to the original bet.
However, no betting strategy does not overcome a statistical advantage of a casino. Always remember about the basic strategy in live French roulette and do not get involved trying to control your own bankroll.
Labouchere system
Labouchere’s system, in some sense, is a calculation of bets strategy based on generating random numbers which shows how to win at roulette. So, the player selects four random numbers by writing them in order. For example, these numbers are 6, 3, 5 and 1. The first bet will be equal to the sum of the first and the fourth number. So, it is 7. A player makes a 7-coin bet on several fields (specific numbers, sector colour, odd or even etc.).
If a spin would be advantageous for the player, he should delete extreme numbers and their sum and add the rest for the next spin. That is 3 and 5. The result is 8. This is the size of the next bet, which you are to do in the same way. If a spin was not good, the sum of losing bet needs to be put at the beginning of the next series of randomly selected numbers.
The downside of this strategy is that with an unlucky game session, bets grow with each spin. If there was no win, the player loses the whole bankroll in a short period of time. In a case of luck, you can win a large sum.
D'Alembert system
The system developed by the French mathematician is a lot like a Martingale system. However, it seems to be more “gentle” to the player, allowing staying in the game for a long time. So, D'Alembert suggested adding one coin to each bet on a losing spin and subtracting one coin from each bet on a winning rotation.
Thus, if the initial bet is 5 coins and a rotation of the reel wasn’t lucky, it is worth adding to it a coin, and then the next bet will be 6 coins. If a rotation in online French roulette is winning, we subtract one from 5 coins and the next bet will be 4.
This strategy does not guarantee one hundred percent success but helps to stay in the game and control the wins and losses as long as possible.
How to play French roulette
According to classic French roulette terms layout involves 37 sectors. 36 of them are marked with the digital value and are divided by black and red sectors. Green sector 37 is a zero.
At the beginning of the game, the dealer spins the roulette wheel and throws there a ball. At this point, players make bets. When the rotation of the reel is slowed down, the ball occupies a position on one of the sectors. If the player’s bet matches the numerical value of the sector where the ball has stopped, the player receives his winnings. If the ball lands on zero, money go to a casino.
French online roulette play bets
At the beginning of each spin players make bets. Rules of French roulette say that wheel has 10 betting options, which are divided into:
- inside bets;
- outside bets;
- oral bets.
Inside bets are placed directly on digital values. You can bet on one, two, three, four or six numbers according to roulette table rules. The more positions inside the field the player noted, the greater the chance that a spin will bring a win.
Outside bets are made on the outside of the playing field. Rules for French roulette allow betting on a red or black sector, on even or odd numbers, on a column, on a dozen, on large or small numbers.
The player can bet both inside and outside sectors of the field. The more bets made on the gaming table, the higher the probability of a successful spin. However, it is important to correctly calculate bets in order to remain in the game longer.
Oral bets in French Roulette
French roulette rules and terms determine a special kind of bets provided in the game is an oral bet. Stable word combinations give the dealer information on how and in what size the player is going to bet.
List of oral bets in the game:
- Orphelin Plein – bet one chip on numbers 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31 and 34.
- Orphelin Cheval – four chips are placed on dual numbers: 6 and 9, 14 and 17, 17 and 20, 31 and 34, one chip on the number 1.
- Tiers du Cylindre – bet one chip on each roulette sector (12 numbers).
- Voisins du Zero – bet on the zero and nearest 17 numbers.
- Voisin du Nombre – bet on any number and four neighbouring sectors.
Roulette rules in land based casinos
Playing in real casinos requires being aware of the rules of behaviour at the gaming table. They do not relate to the game itself but have a connection with the security of the process and the accuracy of dealer’s calculations, that affects the correctness of payments
At the gaming table, a player must remember that:
- collecting winnings and bets is prohibited as long as all winnings on the indicated roulette table sector are paid (for example, all bets on even numbers);
- after the dealer makes a sign indicating the completion of betting, players must not touch chips;
- after the dealer has designated a winning number with a plastic marker, it is not allowed to touch chips on a chance of winning;
- the dealer cannot take real money from a player's hand in exchange for game chips;
- players cannot use mobile devices, digital and computer equipment during the game because roulette French meaning is in luck;
- foreign items are prohibited on the gaming table.
By following these rules, a player can be sure of the accuracy and integrity of calculations, as well as the timeliness and completeness of payments corresponding to the real prize.
Features of the French roulette and how it differs from other types of roulette
French roulette with roulette wheel is different from other varieties of this game by the presence of two additional rules: En Prison and La Partage.
- En Prison – this is the opportunity for players to “freeze” their bets if the ball lands on zero. This means that all bets remain to the next roulette spin and do not go to a casino.
- La Partage – this is the possibility to “insure” against falling a zero. If a spin results with a zero sector, only half the bet goes to a casino account. The second half is frozen and remains on the next spin.
These rules act in real and virtual casinos. They make the game more attractive to the gambling audience, reducing casino’s chances of winning.
French roulette is a game with a colourful history. French Roulette was repeatedly mentioned in popular culture – in literature and cinema. Besides, many books and monographs offering different strategies were published. To this day, the roulette continues to be one of the most popular entertainment in the range of gambling venues.