5 Classic Wagers for French Roulette

Aside from the individual Inside bets (specific, highest payouts) and Outside bets (more general, lowest payouts) that are available to players of Roulette, the French version has predefined wagers that should be part of one’s repertoire, so to speak. This short article will introduce you to these classy options.

French vs American Roulette

Interestingly, you may not know, European or French Roulette has slightly better chances than the historically newer American version, simply because it has one less zero slot reserved for the house. Although bets can be placed on zero, in any other scenario if the ball rolls onto zero it is counted as a loss. Roulette can be a thrilling experience. The French option, despite that slightly simpler wheel, offers more wagering options available and usually was played for larger stakes. This might be part of the reason that the game adopted a high-brow reputation, whereas the version that became popular in North America was less complex.

The French version, despite that slightly simpler wheel, has more betting options available and generally was played for bigger stakes. This could be part of the reason that the game inherited a high-brow image, whereas the version that got popular in North America was less complicated.

The ‘French Bets’

In Roulette, technically, when a player ‘announces’ their bet it is indicated by producing enough chips to cover it, which are placed on the table or ‘layout’. There are a certain wagers that have neatly defined meanings that save a player from calling out and announcing many individual bets. Without further adieu, here, ladies and gentlemen, are 5 of the French Bets:

Jeu zéro (Zero Game)

This type of bet is actually German in origin (for those out there who like Roulette history!) Very simply this is a wager on numbers closest to the zero slot. Four or five chips are bet on these numbers:

1. 0,3 (one chip)
2. 12,15 (one chip)
3. 32.35 (one chip)
4. 26 (one chip)

Voisins du zéro (Neighbors of Zero)

This bet is on the 17 numbers between and including 22 and 25, using 9 chips, in this way:

1. 0,2,3 (two chips)
2. 4,7 (one chip)
3. 12,15 (one chip)
4. 18, 21 (one chip)
5. 19,22 (one chip)
6. Corner of 25,26,28,29 (two chips)
7. 32, 35 (one chip)

Le tiers du cylindre (Tiers, or Third of the Wheel)

Placing this bet means that a player wishes to go with about a third of the wheel, and in this case it is the numbers between and including 27 and 33. Did you know, that the Tiers bet is most popular in British casinos? It costs 6 chips, distributed like this, with one chip on each of these pairs or ‘splits’:

1. 5,8
2. 10,11
3. 13,16
4. 23,24
5. 27,30
6. 33,36

Orphelins (Orphans)

All the 8 numbers not in the Voisins/Neighbors or the Tiers bets, in two sections of the wheel, are called the Orphans. This bet costs 5 chips placed like this:

1. One chip straight up on 1
2. 6,9 (one chip)
3. 14,17 (one chip)
4. 17,20 (one chip)
5. 31,34 (one chip)

Final bets

Lastly, a very interesting bet conceptually based upon the idea of backing numbers all ending with the same numerical digit, with differing chips:

• Final 4: for example, 4, 14, 24, 34 (four chips)
• Final 0 through Final 6 (four chips)
• Final 7, 8 and 9 (three chips)

The costs for all of these bets we have shown you are the bases and can be multiplied by the same factor (so, a bet on the Final 4s could be 8 chips or 12 chips and so on). There are still more complex bets to try, too!

We suggest you get a good depiction of the Roulette wheel to help you study how these wagers play out. A good reference for the odds of all your betting options is also probably a good idea! But obviously a big part of the fun of the game of Roulette is people’s unique meanings, associations and attractions to certain number spreads.