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The green roulette payout: betting on zero, and what zero does to everyone else
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The green pocket is the one number on the wheel that works for the house, and it can also be bet on like any other. Those two facts confuse people, so here is the green payout from both sides: what you get for backing zero, and what zero costs every other chip on the table.
Betting on zero
| Bet | Covers | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Zero straight-up | 0 | 35:1 |
| 0/1, 0/2, 0/3 split | 0 and one neighbour on the layout | 17:1 |
| 0-1-2 or 0-2-3 street | three numbers | 11:1 |
| 0/00 split (American) | both zeros | 17:1 |
| Basket 0-00-1-2-3 (American) | five numbers | 6:1 |
| Jeu Zéro (French tables) | 0 and six wheel neighbours, 4 chips | 35:1 on 26, 17:1 on splits |
The zero straight-up and its splits and streets carry the standard 2.70% edge on a single-zero wheel. The basket carries 7.89%, the worst standard bet in the game.
What zero does to other bets
When the ball lands on zero, every outside bet loses: red, black, odd, even, 1–18, 19–36, all dozens, all columns. Inside bets lose unless they included the zero. On a standard table this is the whole house edge in a single event: red is paid as if it won half the time and it wins 18 of 37.
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The half-back rules
On French tables and a few others, zero is softened for even-money bets:
La Partage: half the stake is returned. A £10 bet on red on a zero loses £5.
En Prison: the stake is held for the next spin; win that spin and the stake comes back, lose and it is gone.
Either rule halves the edge on even-money bets to 1.35%. Dozens, columns and inside bets are not covered.
Does backing zero hedge the outside?
A common idea: put a chip on zero to cover the one outcome that beats red. Run the numbers at £10 on red and £1 on zero. Red wins (18/37): +£10 − £1 = +£9. Black wins (18/37): −£11. Zero (1/37): +£35 − £10 = +£25. Expected per spin: (18 × 9 − 18 × 11 + 25) ÷ 37 = −£0.30, which is 2.70% of the £11 staked. The hedge costs exactly the house edge on the extra chip and changes nothing else. It is a fine bet if you like it; it is not insurance.
Green on special tables
Mini Roulette: zero pays 11:1 on a 13-pocket wheel, and the half-back rule that applies to other bets does not apply to a bet on zero itself, so it is the one 7.69% bet on that table. 100/1 Roulette: five green shapes instead of a zero, each a straight-up at 100:1. Jackpot tables sometimes add a bonus pocket in the 00 position that triggers a feature rather than paying as a number; check the paytable.
The summary
Green pays 35:1 and wins 1 in 37, like everything else. It is the house's pocket not because of what it pays but because of what it takes from the outside bets, and a French table is the only place that bill is cut in half.
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People also ask
What does green pay in roulette?
A straight-up on zero pays 35 to 1, the same as any number. On an American wheel 0 and 00 each pay 35 to 1 as straight-ups, and the 0/00 split pays 17 to 1.
Is betting on green a good bet?
It is a standard straight-up: 2.70% edge on a single-zero wheel, like every other number. It is not a hedge against the zero taking your outside bets, because it is just one more number with its own 1-in-37 chance.