Whether you’re new to roulette or a seasoned player, the green numbers—0 and 00—can feel like a separate game within the game. Most attention goes to red or black, but betting on those green pockets brings a different set of outcomes and rewards.
These bets often create dramatic turns during play, so it helps to understand exactly how they work, what you can win, and how they affect other wagers on the table. Read on to learn the odds, typical payouts, and the special rules that change what happens when the ball stops in green.
Understanding Roulette Bets & Payouts
Roulette offers a range of betting options, and where you place your chips determines both how likely you are to win and how much you would receive if you do. Bets fall broadly into two groups: inside bets, which target specific numbers or small clusters on the inside part of the table, and outside bets, which cover larger categories such as colours or halves of the table.
Standard payouts for the common bet types are:
- Straight up bet (single number, including 0 or 00): pays 35 to 1.
- Split bet (two adjacent numbers): pays 17 to 1.
- Street bet (three numbers in a row): pays 11 to 1.
- Corner bet (four numbers that meet): pays 8 to 1.
- Line bet (six numbers across two rows): pays 5 to 1.
- Column/dozen bet (12 numbers): pays 2 to 1.
- Even money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low): pay 1 to 1.
These payouts are fixed by the game’s rules and are applied whenever a winning number or grouping is covered. The presence of the green pocket(s) changes how many of those winning outcomes exist, so the next section explains exactly what happens when the ball lands in 0 or 00 and how that interacts with the bets above.
What Happens When the Ball Lands on 0 or 00?
When the ball settles on 0 (or 00 in double-zero roulette), it removes most outside bets from contention: red/black, odd/even and high/low are not considered winners, because the green pockets are outside those categories. A straight up bet placed directly on 0 or 00, however, wins according to the straight up payout.
For example, a £1 straight up placed on 0 pays 35 to 1, which means a winning bet returns £35 in profit plus the original £1 stake, totalling £36. If a player had bet on red or odd and the result is 0 or 00, that stake is lost under standard rules.
Some game versions include table rules that alter the outcome for even money outside bets when 0 appears; these are covered in more detail later. First, though, it helps to see how the two main wheel types differ, since the number of green pockets directly affects all of these results.
Single-Zero vs Double-Zero Roulette: What’s the Difference?
The two most common roulette formats differ only in the number of green pockets. Single-zero roulette has one green pocket marked 0, giving 37 pockets in total (1–36 plus 0). Double-zero roulette adds a 00 pocket for 38 total pockets (1–36, 0 and 00). That one extra pocket may seem small, but it shifts the balance of outcomes on every bet.
Because American-style double-zero roulette includes 00, most bets have a slightly lower probability of winning there than on a single-zero wheel. This affects expected returns over time: the fewer losing pockets relative to the total, the closer the payout odds match the true probability of an outcome.
Understanding how that extra pocket affects payouts leads naturally into looking at the concrete returns you can expect when wagering on 0 or 00, which the next section examines with examples to make the numbers clear.
Payouts for 0 and 00 Wagers
Wagering directly on 0 or 00 can produce substantial single-spin returns compared with outside bets, because straight up payouts reward a correct call on one of the many possible pockets.
Inside Bet Payouts Explained
Inside bets are made on individual numbers or small groups inside the main betting grid. The most direct is the straight up bet on a single number such as 0 or 00. A winning straight up pays 35 to 1. Concretely, a £1 straight up winning on 0 returns £35 in winnings plus the £1 stake, totalling £36.
Split bets that include 0 and 00 (where the layout permits) pay 17 to 1, so a £1 split returns £17 plus the stake if either covered number wins. Other inside bets such as street, corner or line pay their stated rates only if the winning pocket is among the numbers covered by that bet.
Outside Bet Effects: Zero and Double Zero Outcomes
Outside bets—red/black, odd/even, high/low and the like—do not win when the ball lands on 0 or 00 because those pockets are not part of those groupings. A £1 even money bet on red loses in that case, and the same applies to odd/even and high/low. On tables that use La Partage or En Prison, even money outside bets may be treated differently when 0 appears; those special rules are described later.
When weighing whether to place inside bets on the green pockets, remember the higher payout comes with much lower probability of success compared with broader outside bets. The next section explains why those green pockets are the main factor in the house edge and how that changes the long-run expectation for different wheel types.
House Edge Explained: Why Zero and Double Zero Matter
The house edge is the mathematical advantage built into the game and is driven largely by the green pocket(s). In single-zero roulette, the single 0 means there are 37 outcomes but the payouts are structured as if certain bets had even probabilities; the mismatch produces a house edge of about 2.7%. In double-zero roulette, the extra 00 pocket increases this edge to roughly 5.3%.
To illustrate, consider how payouts compare with true probabilities. A straight up bet pays 35 to 1, implying a fair probability of 1 in 36. On a single-zero wheel there are 37 pockets, so that payout is slightly less than the true odds, producing the house advantage. Add a second green pocket and the disparity grows. Over many spins, that small difference in expected value accumulates and explains why single-zero wheels generally offer better value to players than double-zero wheels.
Knowing how the house edge works helps when choosing which game to play and which bets to favour. Some tables offer rules that mitigate the impact of 0 on even money bets; the next section describes those options and how they alter outcomes for players.
Special Rules: La Partage & En Prison
La Partage and En Prison are rules sometimes applied to even money outside bets in French or European-style games, and they change what happens when 0 appears.
La Partage returns half of an even money stake when the ball lands on 0, so a £10 bet on black would result in £5 returned and £5 lost in that scenario. En Prison effectively holds the stake for a single further spin: if the bet wins on that next spin the stake is returned in full, and if it loses the stake is taken. Both rules reduce the effective house edge on even money bets compared with standard tables, improving the expected value for those wagers.
These rules apply only to even money outside bets and are not universal, so it is sensible to check table conditions before playing. With that final practical note, you should have the full picture of how 0 and 00 interact with different wagers, what returns look like, and which rules can soften losses on even money bets. Play within personal limits and enjoy the game as an entertaining challenge rather than a way to achieve financial goals.
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**The information provided in this blog is intended for educational purposes and should not be construed as betting advice or a guarantee of success. Always gamble responsibly.