Roulette Zero
One green pocket is the whole business model.
Zero is a number you can bet on like any other. Its presence makes every other bet pay slightly less than fair odds.
Betting on zero
Straight upbetStraight upA single number, pays 35:1.Read full → on 0 pays 35 to 1 and wins one spin in 37. ZerowheelZeroThe single green pocket that no even-money, dozen or column bet covers; the source of the house edge. Also: single zero, 0.Read full → also splitsbetSplitTwo adjacent numbers, pays 17:1.Read full → with 1, 2 and 3 (17 to 1), forms the streetsbetStreetThree numbers in a row of the layout, pays 11:1. French: transversale.Read full → 0-1-2 and 0-2-3 (11 to 1), and anchors the four-number basketbetBasketOn a single-zero wheel: 0, 1, 2, 3 with one chip, pays 8:1. Also: first four, quatre premiers.Read full → 0-1-2-3 (8 to 1). On the wheel it sits between 26 and 32, and the jeu zéroFR · sectorJeu zéro“Zero game”: the seven numbers nearest zero (12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15), bet with four chips.Read full → call bettableCall betA bet announced to the dealer rather than placed by hand, usually a wheel-sector bet such as voisins or tiers. Also “announced bet”.Read full → covers the seven pocketsequipmentPocketOne of the 37 numbered compartments on the rotor. Also: slot, cup.Read full → around it with four chipsmoneyChipA token representing a fixed amount, placed on the layout to make a bet. Also: check.Read full →. Many players keep a small chip on zero as insurance against the one outcome that kills every outside betbetOutside betA bet on the boxes surrounding the grid: dozens, columns and even-money bets.Read full →; the insurance costs 2.70% like everything else.
Why it creates the edge
RedbetRedEven-money bet on the 18 red numbers. French: rouge.Read full →, blackbetBlackEven-money bet on the 18 black numbers. French: noir.Read full →, odd, even, high, low, the three dozensbetDozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–36, pays 2:1.Read full → and the three columnsbetColumnTwelve numbers in one vertical column of the layout, pays 2:1.Read full → all exclude zero. When it hits, every one of them loses. That single outcome in 37 is where the casino’s money comes from on outside bets. On inside betsbetInside betAny bet placed on or between the numbers of the grid: straight up, split, street, corner, six line.Read full → the mechanism is subtler: the payoutsmoneyPayoutWhat a winning bet returns, quoted as “X to 1” on top of the returned stake.Read full → are computed as if zero did not exist (36/n − 1), so every inside bet is paid one pocket short of fair. Either way, the whole edge is one pocket.
French softening
La partageruleLa partageFrench rule: when zero hits, half of an even-money stake is returned. Halves the house edge on those bets to 1.35%.Read full → returns half of an even-money stake when zero hits; en prisonruleEn prisonFrench rule: when zero hits, an even-money bet is held for the next spin instead of lost. Halves the house edge on those bets.Read full → holds the stake for one more spin. Either rule halves the edge on even-money betsbetEven-money betRed/black, odd/even, high/low. 18 numbers, pays 1:1.Read full → to 1.35%, which makes a French table the cheapest standard roulette game anywhere. Inside bets and dozens are not covered by either rule.
Zero in the past
The first Paris wheels had both 0 and 00, and some early American wheels added a third house pocket marked with an eagle, giving an edge above 7%. One zero became standard in Europe after 1843. In 2016 a triple-zero wheel reappeared on the Las Vegas Strip at low-limit tables, bringing the 7.69% edge back after 150 years.
Paris wheels: 0 and 00, both house pockets.
American wheels add an eagle pocket: three house numbers, edge above 7%.
Bad Homburg introduces the single zero: 2.70%.
Monte Carlo makes it the European standard.
Triple zero returns on the Las Vegas Strip: 7.69%.
Is zero “due”?
No. It hits one spin in 37 on average, and a run of 200 spins without a zero has probabilitymathProbabilityChance of an outcome, from 0 to 1 or 0% to 100%. One number: 1/37 = 2.70%.Read full → (36/37)²⁰⁰ ≈ 0.4%, which sounds rare until you remember how many 200-spin windows a casino produces every day. The next spin is 1/37 regardless of how long it has been.
Questions
Neither. It is green precisely so that no color bet can claim it.
For betting purposes none of those. All six even-money bets lose on zero unless French rules apply.
17 to 1, like any split.
Comic relief
One pocket in thirty-seven.
Sources
- Ethier, S. N. The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling.
- Schwartz, D. G. Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
- Lablée, J. La Roulette, ou le Jour.