Roulette: ‘La Partage’ and ‘En Prison’ Rules

Most players of roulette know that the classic online casino game exists in several different forms, with the three most famous being American, European, and of course, French roulette. Just as table layouts in each of these variants is distinct, so are the rules and bets associated with them.

There are specific rules for some of the European variants, like the ‘La Partage’ rule and the ‘En Prison’ rule. Both apply only for even money bets. 

In its native French, the first translates to “the divide” and takes place only if the ball stops on zero. When this happens, the La Partage rule sees that those even money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even/ Low/High) are divided in two with one half going to the house and the other half being returned to the player, halving the house edge.

Similar to La Partage, the En Prison rule comes into play when the wheel’s ball rests on the zero pocket after a player places an even money bet. In casinos where the ‘La Partage’ rule is applied, the player can then ask the croupier to put the bet “in prison”, as the rule’s name suggests. The wheel is then spun again and if the participant wins their next bet, they receive back their “imprisoned” bet. If not, he will lose his full bet. Alternatively, players can also accept half of his bet back under the ‘La Partage’ rule.