French roulette: layout, terms and zero rules

French roulette commonly describes a single-zero game with French table vocabulary and, at some tables, special zero settlement on even-money wagers. The label alone leaves questions unanswered. Compare the wheel, payout table and exact zero rule before calculating its return.

Translate the felt

Standard profit payouts match the familiar single-zero table: 35 to 1 straight up, 17 on a split, 11 on a street, 8 on a corner and 5 on a six line. The payout reference separates returned stake from profit.

Check zero settlement

Monte-Carlo's published European rules describe eligible even-money wagers being barred when zero lands. The player can divide the wager or wait for another spin. A successful barred wager is freed rather than paid as an ordinary new winner. Other tables specify their own procedure.

Under la partage, a 10-chip red wager loses 5 and returns 5 on zero. Under en prison, its settlement can remain unresolved. The treatment of another zero matters. Read la partage and en prison for separate sequences. Do not apply either to a dozen merely because it sits outside the numbered grid.

Racetrack sectors are separate features

Voisins, tiers, orphelins and jeu zéro name groups covered by packages of wagers. A table can provide those shortcuts without offering zero protection. It can also have a special zero rule without every racetrack control.

The racetrack guide compares chip breakdowns. The wheel-order reference locates their sectors. A French menu, French dealer or familiar green layout does not by itself establish the expected return of the game.