La Partage / En Prison

Two French-roulette rules that soften the loss on even-money bets when the ball lands on zero, roughly halving the house edge for those specific wagers.

Definition

Both rules apply only to even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low) on a single-zero wheel. Under La Partage, when the ball lands on 0 the player immediately loses only half the even-money stake and keeps the other half. Under En Prison, the losing even-money stake is instead 'imprisoned' for one more spin: if that bet wins next spin the original stake is returned (no winnings), otherwise it is lost. Either rule reduces the house edge on affected even-money bets from 2.70% to about 1.35%, making them among the lowest-edge bets on the casino floor. The rules do not apply to inside bets, which keep the full 2.70% edge.

Worked example

You bet $10 on black on a La Partage table and the ball lands on 0. Instead of losing all $10, you lose $5 and keep $5. Over many zero outcomes this returned half-stake is exactly what cuts the even-money house edge from 2.70% down to roughly 1.35%.

Why it matters

For learners, this is a concrete case where a specific rule variant materially changes expected cost, reinforcing that you must read the rules, not just the game name. For professionals, the 1.35% figure is a key selling and compliance point when describing French tables accurately.

Related

Note: The reduction to about 1.35% applies only to even-money bets; exact availability of La Partage versus En Prison varies by casino and jurisdiction.