If the ball lands on green in roulette, you lose any bet that does not cover zero (and win all bets that do cover it). Depending on where you play, outside bets may only lose half the amount if the ball lands on green. This is called La Partage.
In French roulette, which has a slightly different layout, outside bets may be frozen if the ball lands on zero green.
This means the bet will stay there until the following spin, or until a red or black number comes in anyway.
This is a rule that clearly favors the player, and in roulette terminology it is called En Prison — literally, in jail.
Keep in mind, French roulette isn’t usually offered in casinos. European and American roulette are much more common.
Why is zero green in roulette?
No real reason, really. But green is a nice bright color that stands out against the red-black pattern.
Interestingly enough, the roulette wheel did not have any green zeros originally.
Some wheels had a zero and a double zero (black and red respectively); some had none.
Then, in 1843, François and Louis Blanc invented the now famous single-zero roulette wheel, and that’s when zero officially became the green number.
Is zero even in roulette?
No. Zero is not an even number in roulette.
Zero is an even number technically, but not in this casino game. This is because the zero was designed to give casinos a house edge.
So it’s not like you’ll have an advantage if you bet on even numbers.
But, as explained, if you bet on even chances, and zero comes in, you may get half of your original bet back if the casino uses La Partage.
In this case, the already low house edge of about 2.7 percent is further reduced.
How much do you win if you hit zero in roulette?
Provided you put the chip, or chips, on zero straight up, then the payout will be 35 to one.
So for example, if you had $10 on number zero and it came in, then you’d win $350 plus the original bet. Not bad!
If your bet covered zero and another number, such as 2, then the payout will be 17 to one. Still pretty good.
As for the more complex combinations:
- A bet on “first four” (zero, 1, 2, 3) pays 8 to one.
- In American roulette, a “basket” (a bet covering zero, double zero, 1, 2, 3) pays 6 to one.
- Voisins du Zéro (a call bet covering zero and the sixteen numbers on the zero side) pays roughly one to one, depending on which number comes in.
- Zero and its neighbors (a call bet covering zero, 3, 15, 28, 32) pays about 7 to one.
- Zero final (a call bet where the amount is equally split on zero, 10, 20, and 30 straight up) pays about 8 to one.
What happens if you bet on everything in roulette?
If you bet on everything in roulette, you lose.
This is common sense for those who know the game, but it may not be so obvious for beginners.
Let’s say the minimum bet on a number straight up is $1.
If you cover all numbers, the bet would be $37. This is because roulette has 36 numbers plus the green zero.
Now, when the ball drops (regardless of where it drops on), the payout will be $35. And you keep the original bet, so technically you’ll have $36.
This translates to a $1 loss per spin, at best.
And if you’re wondering what happens if you cover all the numbers straight up, plus all outside bets (even chances, columns, and dozens), the answer is still the same — you’re losing.
Inside bets payouts
As the name says, inside bets are those placed on the inner part of the roulette layout — the one that’s closer to the dealer.
Inside bets are the following:
- Straight ups (chips placed on a single number, pays 35 to one)
- Splits (chips placed between two numbers, pays 17 to one)
- Corners (chips placed on the corner of four numbers, pays 8 to one)
- Streets (chips that cover three numbers, pays 11 to one)
- Six-lines (chips that cover six numbers, pays only 5 to one)
There is no combination of these that would allow you to win in the long run, unless you’re cheating.
Because the roulette wheel has a zero (or two zeros, in the American version), there is a house edge.
And although it’s not very high, it guarantees a statistical advantage of the casino — again, if you keep playing over and over again.
Of course, you could play once, get lucky, and leave the casino and never go back. But in the long run there is no roulette strategy, or combination of numbers, that allows you to beat the game.
