Call me eccentric, but my recipe for the perfect, relaxing afternoon would definitely include these two ingredients: red wine and French Roulette. Granted, I would add some blue cheese and grapes also, but let’s not get carried away. So, if you find my choice to be a bit rum for your taste, let me elaborate. First and foremost, we are not talking about any sort of wine and any kind of French Roulette. No, no, no! And I am not talking about heading over to the posh London casino that overlooks Hyde Park, which I believe only features the American version of the game and would have you pay couple of biscuits for a decent Pinot Noir from Burgundy. I am talking about the ‘less quids, more comfort’ experience of playing this game in your own home, with a nice glass – or two, or three of Syrah that you bought from the grocery store on the corner. Because thankfully French Roulette can be played in an online casino too, a fact for which I am all too grateful and I think we can agree on that. I mean, if I had to put on a suit and tie and go searching for a land-based casino that offers French Roulette and decent low-price red wine I would probably go bonkers.

So..why red wine, you ask? Well, aside from pleasing the senses and adding a little colour and grace to the mundanities of everyday life, it also has numerous benefits for our health. Researchers at the Oregon State College of Agricultural Studies discovered the numerous positive effects that a glass of red wine can have on our bodies. They made a 10-week experiment with mice – don’t worry, they were fed good food and decent wine and they realised that the mice that were given wine stored less liver fat and they also had lower blood sugar. Isn’t that fantastic news? Moreover, a recent news published by the telegraph.co.uk showed that the powerful antioxidant resveratrol in red wine protects against cell damage and could actually prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. How’s that for health benefits?

And as far as the French Roulette goes, the advantages of playing it come from two specific rules: En Prison and La Partage, which alongside the single 0 layout lowers the house edge to a mere 1.35%, as opposed to the house edge in American Roulette, which stands at a whopping 5.26%. The La Partage rule is characteristic of the French variation of the game and it allows players to get half of their even money wagers back, in case the winning number is 0. The En Prison rule is a bit more complicated, but still the player holds the advantage. This rule places the losing wager ‘in prison’ and it ‘goes’ for another spin. In case the wager is winning on the next spin, the player receives the original wager back. I personally prefer this rule, because you get another chance of receiving the whole bet back, instead of only half of it. So, overall this is the best Roulette variation to play also in terms of entertainment and probability.

Now just imagine this scenario: you are sitting on your balcony, it’s a wonderful sunny afternoon – I know we don’t get a lot of sun in the UK but just work with me, and you are enjoying a glass of Château Latour 1996 Pauillac. Can you feel the pure aromas of cassis flooding your mouth? Good. Now imagine having your laptop – or iPad, or iPhone in your lap and enjoying a nice game of French Roulette. See what I mean? Delightful!