Have you ever wondered why the roulette wheel has a green zero? Being a different colour must mean something is different about it, right? The answer is yes; the green pocket does hit differently.
In today’s piece we will offer a deeper insight into the rules surrounding zero and explain the roulette green payout. As you will see, we covered the statistical aspects of roulette to give you specific tips and strategies to improve your winning chances. Let’s dive into the analysis to understand the roulette green zero better and incorporate it into your game strategy.
What’s the Most Important Thing to Know About Green Payout in Roulette
So, what is the payout on the green in roulette? To answer the question and teach you how to incorporate the elusive green pocket into your game tactics, you should first look at the general rules as you learn how to play roulette. Once you get a grip of it, you can proceed with the most critical points to know about betting on roulette green zero:
Starting point: The green roulette payout refers to winnings derived from betting on zero. In both of the most popular roulette variants, American and European, the payout for a bet on the green zero is 35:1; in other words, betting 100 euros on a (double) zero and hitting it would earn you 35 euros.
Influence on game strategy: Zero is added to the roulette wheel for a simple reason: it’s the casino’s way to raise the house edge. As a result, you must change your strategy depending on the roulette variant.
Importance in the game context: Another peculiarity of the green pocket(s) is that it will result in a loss on outside bets (e.g., red/black or even/odd). Consequently, common game systems such as the Martingale strategy cannot be applied to zero.
Roulette Green Payout Examples
There are several variants in both online roulette and brick-and-mortar casinos, but we will explain the payout difference between American vs European roulette version:
American Roulette
The double zero increases the house edge from 2.7% in European roulette to around 5.26% in American roulette. Conversely, you have a lower chance of winning in American roulette than in European roulette (1:38 compared to 1:37), as it features one more pocket, making the roulette green payout lower in the first variant.
The popular split bet on both green compartments (0 and 00) results in a payout of 17:1. The stake is split between green numbers, doubling the chance of winning but reducing the payout rate by more than half.
European Roulette
In contrast, European roulette only offers one green compartment, the 0, for a total of 37 compartments on the wheel. The payout ratio for a direct bet on the green zero is 35 to 1 of your original bet. So if you place the usual minimum bet of 5 euros, you will be paid out 175 euros.
Although the rules in the French version are slightly different, the roulette green zero is treated the same way. An extra tip for making the most of European roulette: especially when playing online, you can better distribute your budget across small chips and be less dependent on chance.
Three-number bet (Trio) and Zero game
The Trio bet involves the zero and two adjacent numbers on the table. Typically, this is the combination of numbers 1, 2 and 0 or 2, 3 and 0; if you hit it, the Three-number bet will pay out 11 to 1.
The Trio bet should not be confused with the so-called zero game, which involves betting on numbers close to zero on the roulette wheel (12, 35, 3, 26, 32 and 15). If you hit zero with this bet, you will win 4.5 times your roulette stake.
The Differences Between Green Zero in American and European Roulette
The game of roulette varies significantly between its two most popular variants, American and European roulette. These changes are manifested not only in the number of green zeros on the roulette wheel but also in the associated game rules and odds of winning. Here, we highlight the main differences in roulette odds and payouts:
Multiple zeros. American roulette has two green zero pockets, 0 and 00, whereas European roulette has only one green zero, 0. The European variant is, therefore, also called a green zero roulette. This additional zero in American roulette effectively doubles the house edge, which means that the odds of winning are generally better in European roulette.
Impact on odds. The double zero in American roulette increases the house edge to about 5.26%, compared to only 2.7% in European roulette. This directly impacts game tactics, as the probability of losing bets on single numbers increases due to the additional zero.
Roulette wheel layout. The different arrangements of the numbers on the wheel also influence the game. European roulette, due to its symmetrical number arrangement, offers intuitive betting options and is often considered more player-oriented.
Rule differences. Unlike American roulette, European roulette offers mechanisms to reduce your losses if the winning number is zero. If the croupier plays green against your wishes, either live or in an online casino, the ‘En Prison’ and ‘La Partage’ rules can come into effect.
But what is the payout for green in roulette?
Connection Between Roulette Green Payouts and House Edge
If you’re wondering what green zero pays in roulette, we’ll tell you that the roulette green zero has a decisive influence on the house edge as it belongs neither to the red nor to the black numbers nor any of the cells on the table.
In tactical considerations, this leads to a shift between the theoretical probability of winning and the actual payout; if betting on green on roulette, the payout may be drastically different.
The payouts for hitting the zero or double zero remain consistently high and offer a payout of 35 to 1 in the event of a win, but this means that there is a ratio of 38 existing numbers to 36 counting numbers.
Additional Tips for Understanding Green Zero Pockets
Finally, we have provided advanced tips to give you the edge you need:
- Avoid outside bets that exclude the zero. Since outside bets like Red/Black or Odd/Even do not cover the zero, these bets automatically lose if the ball lands on a green zero. In other words, try to incorporate the zero into your group bets. Bets like the Trio bet that includes the green zero can improve your chances of winning.
- Use the En Prison and La Partage rules. In European roulette, these rules offer advantages when the ball lands on zero, allowing you to win back a portion of your bet.
- Don’t let the zero take hold of you. Some players enjoy the riskiness of zero and bet much more often on the green pockets. We don’t advise this. Sure, you could make a bigger profit this way, but the probability of hitting zero is still less than 3%, so play it cautiously.
