As the name of it suggests, roulette began life in France during the 1600s. In order to get a sense of where the la partage rules came from, it is worth going back to the origins of roulette as a game. As the ball spins, the stake has a marker on it, indicating that it is ‘en prison’. If, on the other hand, it lands on something that makes it a losing bet then the punter will lose their stake in its entirety. If the ball lands on the correct colour then the person will have their stake returned to them in full. En prison is a variation on this, stating that the money will remain ‘in prison’ for the next spin. In essence, the la partage rule says that customers that bet on an Even money wager, such as red or black, will only lose half of their stake when the roulette ball lands on zero.
This haves the odds for House when it comes to Even money bets, meaning everyone should play it when they have the option to.
The one exception to this is French roulette, which offers punters the chance to take advantage of the la partage and en prison rules. In Las Vegas, for example, triple zero roulette wheels have become more and more common, with customers still willing to play them in spite of the fact that the use of a third zero shifts the odds even further towards the House. In the world of roulette, most of the rules are introduced to favour the House.
