Surrender Rule in Roulette: Is it Worth Playing?

The presence of the zero slot/slots on the Roulette wheel is something that Roulette players don’t like. Players lose their wagers if the ball lands in the green zero pocket.

But the zero slots can be “player-friendly” if players follow the Roulette surrender rule. Continue reading to know the Surrender rule and whether you should use it in online and live Roulette games.

Roulette surrender rule basics

The Roulette surrender rule is special at limited land-based and online Roulette tables. The rule states the potential refund players can get for a losing wager, given that the loss arises from the ball landing in a single or double zero slot.

As a Roulette player, you’ll encounter three versions of the special rule. But all of them revolve around players receiving a potential refund if the ball comes to a stop in the zero pockets. Sounds great, right? But note that this Roulette rule only comes into play when making outside wagers.

Outside bets in Roulette explained

Roulette outside bets are wagers made on the betting grid’s outside section. These bets cover many numbers, but their potential payout is lower than Roulette inside bets. Below we’ve listed some common outside wagers to make in Roulette games:

Odd/Even

– Odd/Even is among the top Roulette bets in online Roulette games. Here, you wager on whether the ball will appear in an odd or even numbered slot. The potential payout here is 1:1.

Red/Black

– This is a wager on whether the colour of the slot in which the ball lands will be red or black. This Roulette outside bet pays 1:1.

High/Low

– This Roulette wager is made on low (1-18) or high (19-36) numbers on the Roulette wheel. The potential payout for the High/Low bet is 1:1.

Dozens

– When making this Roulette wager, place your Roulette chips on 12 Roulette wheel numbers simultaneously. Getting a dozens wager right pays 2:1.

Column

– The Roulette betting grid features three columns covering 12 numbers each. A column bet is made on any of these three columns and pays 2:1.

A look at the three variations of the Roulette surrender rule

As mentioned earlier, the Roulette surrender rule has three main variations. While the basic premise of all these Roulette surrender rules is essentially the same, some subtle differences exist between them. And this is because the number of zero slots isn’t the same on all Roulette wheels. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the three types of Roulette surrender rules:

En Prison

This Roulette rule is exclusive to European Roulette wheels, meaning you can find it in Double Ball Roulette and other European Roulette variations. With the En Prison rule, you won’t lose your wager if you’ve made an outside bet and the ball happens to land in the zero pockets. Instead, your wager stays on the grid for an additional spin.

Your bet remains on the betting layout for as long as the ball lands in the zero slot. When the ball stops in any other slot beside the zero pockets, you either win or lose the bet (based on the wager made and the standard gameplay rules). 

A great thing about the En Prison rule is that it reduces the house advantage to 1.35%, making it one of the best rules for online playing the European Roulette game.

La Partage

This is another popular version of the Roulette surrender rule that can only be found at European tables. Unlike the En Prison rule that puts your wager “in prison”, the La Partage rule gets you a 50% refund if the ball lands in a zero pocket. For example, if you make a £100 wager on the black colour and the ball stops on zero, you’ll receive £50 on that wager.

At first glance, the La Partage rule may look like a bad deal than the En Prison wager. But upon performing a mathematical analysis and considering the Roulette odds, you’ll find that the En Prison and La Partage wagers are essentially the same in the casino advantage.

Surrender

This Roulette rule is exclusive to the American version of online and live Roulette games. The American wheel features two zero pockets – a single zero slot and a double zero slot. And the Surrender rule covers both these zero pockets on the American wheel.

With the Surrender rule in place, players get a 50% refund if the ball shows up in either the single zero or double zero pockets. Also, the usage of this Roulette rule reduces the casino advantage of American Roulette to 2.7%, making it a Roulette version well worth playing.

Summing Up

The Roulette Surrender rule can be an excellent option to go with, given the fact that it significantly reduces the casino advantage. Also, Roulette surrender rules can add some thrill to your gameplay. The only real downside of this rule is that it may only be available in some online and live Roulette games.

Now that we’ve covered everything about the Roulette surrender rule, it’s time to try it out on our platform. With us, you’ll find numerous Roulette games that offer this rule. For beginners and regular players who want to elevate their Roulette gaming experience, we recommend checking our articles on using the Roulette calculator and the top Roulette strategy books. Happy gaming there!