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The most popular games at an online casino are always reported. However, popularity is subjective and depends on who you are asking. French Roulette is a highly popular game among online gamblers, but is not popular with online gaming operators. As a result, many online casinos do not or no longer offer French Roulette but continue to provide user’s access to American and European Roulette. Those that do offer French Roulette only provide a single game.

The Numbers

All roulette players are aware of the three variants of roulette and their related house edges. American Roulette boasts a house edge of 5.26 percent while European Roulette has an edge of 2.70 percent. French Roulette claims a house edge of only 1.35 percent on even money wagers and 2.70 percent for all other bets. Online gaming operators argue the 1.35 percent is much too low for them to cover costs and therefore do not offer it on their site.

The Player’s Argument

The argument for players is that all online casinos offer various blackjack and video poker variants with house edge less than 1 percent. This is significantly lower than all roulette variants. Why is there are problem with French Roulette then?

The Operators Argument

The reason lies with the actual gameplay of each contest. Roulette is a game built on luck alone. Any player that posts an even-money bet in French Roulette will receive an average return of 98.65 percent over the long term. Therefore, the casino will never make more than $1.35 for every $100 placed on an even-money bet.

On the other hand, the game of blackjack entails luck and skill. For example, if a specific blackjack variant boasts a house edge of 0.5 percent and the player bets will perfect skill, he will have a return of 99.5 percent over the long term. However, most players do not wager with perfect skill, therefore, there is much more variance. As the skill level decreases so does the average return. Bad blackjack players can end with a return of less than 90 percent.

While the house edge of blackjack may be less than 1 percent with perfect skill, it is more realistic to estimate the house will acquire $3 for every $100 wagered based on the average player. However, there is much less variance with French Roulette and therefore players betting even-money will see a return of 98.65 percent. Therefore, it does not make financial sense for online gaming sites to offer French Roulette.

Surprisingly, online roulette has many variants, each offering a different house edge. As a result, game selection is extremely important. House edge is calculated by the total amount going to the casino for each $100 wagered. To maximize your profits, it is important to select the roulette variant with the lowest house edge.

There are two variants that should be avoided altogether. These include:

• Mini Roulette
• American Roulette

Mini Roulette contains the numbers 1 through 12 and 0. The rules are the same in that all bets lose if the ball falls on 0, except those that wagered on 0. Since there are less numbers on the board, 0 will occur much more frequently resulting in a high house edge of 7.69 percent. Since the edge is even higher than slots, it is a mistake to wager on this variant of Roulette.

American Roulette is a popular variant of the game. The board contains 38 total numbers: 1-36, 0 and 00. Once again all bets automatically lose if 0 or 00 is called, other than those that wagered on 0 or 00. Consequently, the house edge is 5.26 percent, which is also higher than the other variant of Roulette as well as most slot games.

There are two variants that will maximize profits and should be played including:

• European Roulette
• French Roulette

Although not offering the lowest house edge, the most popular form of the game is European Roulette. There are 37 total numbers, 1 through 36 and 0. Again, all bets lose if 0 is called, except those that bet on 0. This is a better game option because there are more numbers and only one that is an automatic loss. Also, the house edge is only 2.57 percent, a considerable improvement over slots and the other two Roulette variants.

French Roulette follows the same structure as European Roulette except one rule: La Partage. If 0 is called, half of all wages not placed on 0 are returned as opposed to an automatic loss. Therefore, the house edge is only 1.35 percent. The only issue is that French Roulette is not offered at many online or land-based casinos.

When searching for a Roulette game, it is advantageous to select French Roulette. If unavailable, the next best variant for maximizing your winnings is European Roulette. Try to avoid American and Mini Roulette games as the house edge is much too high.