La partage in roulette
La partage is a French roulette rule: when the ball lands on zero, you get half of any even-money stake back instead of losing it all. It applies to red/black, odd/even and high/low bets, and it cuts the house edge on those bets from 2.70% to 1.35% on a single-zero wheel.
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Key takeaways
- La partage returns half your stake on even-money bets when zero comes in.
- It halves the house edge on those bets, from 2.70% to about 1.35%.
- It does nothing for dozens, columns, splits or straight-up numbers.
- Not every game called French roulette uses it; the help screen confirms.
- Meaning
- “The sharing” (French)
- Applies to
- Even-money bets only
- Triggered by
- The ball landing on zero
- House edge on even-money bets
- About 1.35%
- Without the rule
- About 2.70%
What la partage means in roulette
The phrase is French for “the sharing”, and the idea is exactly that: when zero spins in, the casino shares your even-money stake with you, keeping half and handing half back. On a standard single-zero roulette table without the rule, every outside bet simply loses when the ball drops into the green pocket.
The rule belongs to classic French roulette, which uses the same 37-pocket wheel as European roulette but a different table layout and, often, French names on the felt. You’ll see Rouge and Noir for red and black, Pair and Impair for even and odd, and Manque and Passe for 1–18 and 19–36. Those six boxes are the only ones la partage protects.
La partage worked example in pounds
Say you place £10 on red. The ball lands on zero. On a European table you lose the full £10. On a table with la partage, £5 goes back to your balance and £5 is lost. If the ball had landed on any red number you would have won £10, and on any black number you would have lost £10, exactly as normal.
Over the long run, the difference shows up clearly. Picture 37 spins of £10 on red where every pocket appears once. You win 18 times (+£180), lose 18 times (−£180) and hit zero once. Without the rule that zero costs £10, a 2.70% edge on £370 staked. With la partage it costs £5, which is 1.35%.
- Place an even-money bet (red, black, odd, even, 1–18 or 19–36).
- Zero lands, so the bet doesn’t win.
- The table settles half the stake back to your balance straight away.
- The other half is lost, and the next round starts as normal.
Which bets la partage covers
| Bet | Pays | Edge without la partage | Edge with la partage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red or black | 1 to 1 | 2.70% | 1.35% |
| Odd or even | 1 to 1 | 2.70% | 1.35% |
| 1–18 or 19–36 | 1 to 1 | 2.70% | 1.35% |
| Dozen or column | 2 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| Split (two numbers) | 17 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| Straight up (one number) | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
So la partage only helps if you mainly play the outside even-money boxes. Players who like number bets or the racetrack’s neighbours and called bets get the standard 2.70% house edge whatever the table’s name.
How to find la partage in a casino app
Roulette lobbies in UK apps usually sort tables into European, French and American, plus live tables streamed from a studio. The word French in a title is a hint, not a promise. Before you bet, tap the ‘i’ or menu icon on the game and open the rules. A table with the rule will say something like “if the result is zero, half of all even-money bets are returned”. If the help screen quotes a separate RTP for even-money bets, 98.65% is the figure that matches la partage on a single-zero wheel.
On a phone in portrait, French tables usually show the betting grid running vertically under the wheel, with the even-money boxes down one side. Rotating to landscape gives the more traditional layout and a wider racetrack. Our French roulette apps page describes how the layout differs, and the how to play roulette on mobile guide covers chip selection and the repeat-bet button.
La partage versus en prison
French tables sometimes offer en prison instead. Rather than returning half the stake, en prison locks the whole even-money bet on the table for the next spin. The long-run edge is almost the same, roughly 1.35% to 1.39% depending on how a second zero is treated, but the experience differs: la partage settles instantly, while en prison leaves your stake in limbo for another round. Our en prison entry walks through the difference in detail.
UK rules that apply on la partage tables
Online roulette in Great Britain must take at least five seconds per round, and there is no autoplay: you confirm every spin yourself, although most apps offer a repeat button that places the same chips again with one tap. Your balance stays on screen throughout. A lower edge means a lower average cost per spin, but the result of any session is still unpredictable, and losses are the expected outcome over time. Setting a deposit limit before you start is the simplest way to keep roulette affordable; our safer gambling page shows where to find it.
Related roulette terms
For the wheel itself, read single-zero roulette. For how percentages turn into pounds, see RTP and house edge. The roulette apps page compares where licensed apps list their tables, and the full glossary covers the rest of the jargon.
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Frequently asked questions
What does la partage mean in roulette?
La partage means that when zero lands, half of every even-money stake is returned to you and the other half is lost. The name is French for “the sharing”. It only covers red/black, odd/even and 1–18/19–36, and it is mostly found on French roulette tables. The effect is to halve the house edge on those bets, from 2.70% to around 1.35%. Our French roulette apps page shows how these tables look on a phone.
Is la partage the same as en prison?
No, they are two different zero rules with nearly the same long-run effect. La partage returns half the stake immediately. En prison holds the whole stake on the table for the next spin: if that spin wins, you get your stake back; if it loses, the stake is gone. Both bring the edge on even-money bets down to roughly 1.35–1.39%, depending on the exact en prison rule. Read our en prison entry for a side-by-side example.
Does la partage apply to straight-up number bets?
No, la partage only applies to even-money outside bets. Straight-up numbers, splits, streets, corners, dozens and columns all lose in full when zero lands, so their house edge stays at 2.70% on a single-zero wheel. If you like number bets, la partage makes no difference to your choice of table. The house edge entry sets out how each type of bet costs you on average.
Do all French roulette games in UK apps use la partage?
Not necessarily, so always check the game rules. Many games labelled French roulette include la partage, but the name alone isn’t proof, and some use en prison instead. Tap the information or menu icon inside the game and read the section on zero. If it mentions half of even-money bets being returned, the rule is active. Our guide to how to play roulette on mobile shows where the rules screen usually sits.
Can I find la partage on live roulette tables?
Some live French roulette tables use la partage, but most live tables streamed to UK apps are European roulette without it. The live lobby usually labels French tables separately, and each one has a rules page you can open from the stream. Live roulette also uses more mobile data than RNG tables because of the video. Our live roulette apps page explains what to expect from the stream, the bet timer and the layout on a phone.
Does la partage make roulette a good bet?
La partage makes even-money roulette bets cheaper on average, but it doesn’t make roulette profitable. At a 1.35% edge, £500 of even-money bets costs about £6.75 on average, compared with £13.50 at 2.70%. Any single session can still end well up or well down. It is a reason to prefer one table over another if you play outside bets, not a reason to play more. Set limits first using the tools on our safer gambling page.