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Roulette En Prison Rule

Updated on: November 27th, 2020

The en prison rule is found in certain versions of roulette, but more commonly In French roulette.  It’s also very similar to the la partage rule found in French online roulette. So, if you are familiar with either of these rules, you should be good.

Playing a roulette game where this rule is effective is a huge plus because it lowers the house edge to 1.35%. This means that the advantage that the casino has over you is lowered and you stand to win more money if you get lucky.

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En Prison Roulette Rule Explained

The en prison rule is concerned only with even money bets like red/black bets or betting on odd and even numbers. In a game where this rule is effective, the dealer or computer software will mark off all even money bets in that way you know exactly where your targets lie. If the roulette ball happens to land on neither of these bets, but on the zero pocket instead, your bet gets imprisoned until the next roulette wheel spin.

Roulette en prison rule

In the following round, you will not place any new bets, your previous (now imprisoned) bet will come in play again. If your bet wins this time around you will not get paid 1:1, which is the payout percentage for even money bets. Instead, you’ll get your wager back and the game will continue.

But, if the ball rests in the zero pocket once again, or does not match your initial even number, all is lost.  Some enforce another rule that gives players a second chance to redeem their money before all is lost. In other words, when you’ve placed an even money bet in a game where the en prison rule is activated, the ball may land in the zero pocket twice before you lose everything.

The La Partage Rule in Roulette

Now, if you were playing a game where the la partage rule was in effect, you would’ve been able to retrieve at least half your wager if the ball landed in the zero pocket. That’s the difference between the two rules, with the one you get half your wager back if the zero pocket comes up and in the other you lose your entire wager.

Remember though that the en prison rule only applies to even money bets, which covers inside bets. Outside bets are therefore excluded.

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