La Boule
La Boule is a casino game similar to roulette
that is popular in Europe, especially France and, to a lesser extent, Germany. It is also found in the Far East, in what was once Eurasia.
The game features 9 numbers and 3 colors on which to bet upon. It is played on a large wooden wheel with a rubber ball a little smaller than a tennis ball. The wheel is divided into 9 numbers, 1 to 9, and three colors, black, red, and yellow. The numbers 1, 3, 6, and 8 are black; 2, 4, 7, and 9 are red; and 5 is yellow.
After the dealer calls "Rien ne va plus" (no more bets), the dealer then spins the wheel and ball; the depression where the ball lands determines the outcome. As the table below shows, every bet has a house edge of 11.11%. This is far worse than roulette, especially European roulette. So, given the choice between La Boule and roulette, players should always choose roulette.
To learn about the available bets and what each pays, to understand the probability of winning, and to get to know the house edge, check out this table:
La Boule Odds
| Bet |
Pays |
Probability |
House Edge |
| Red |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| Black |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| Low (1-4) |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| High (6-9) |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| Odd |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| Even |
1 to 1 |
44.44% |
11.11% |
| 1 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 2 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 3 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 4 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 5 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 6 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 7 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 8 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
| 9 |
7 to 1 |
11.11% |
11.11% |
Malaysia Rules
The Genting casino (www.genting.com) in Malaysia has a game called French Boule. Under the Singapore rules a ball is thrown into an arena with many indentations, each with a number from 0 to 9. The total number of indentations for each number is equal.
One type of bet is to bet on a specific number. The probability of winning is 10%. Wins pay 8:1. The house edge is 10%.
Another type of bet is a set of three particular numbers 1, 4, or 7; 2, 5, or 8; and 3, 6, or 9. The probability of winning is 30%. Wins pay 2:1. The house edge for this bet is also 10%. |
