The green numbers: what 0 and 00 pay
Bet 0 or 00 straight-up and they pay 35:1 — green is a number like any other on your side of the felt. Their real job is on the house’s side: when green lands, every outside bet loses (red/black, odd/even, high/low, dozens, columns). That asymmetry — numbers that pay you like the rest but defeat the group bets — is the house edge: 2.70% with one green, 5.26% with two. French tables soften it with la partage.⚙ computed
Green by the numbers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 0 straight-up pays | 35:1 — hit odds 1 in 37 (EU) |
| 00 straight-up pays | 35:1 — American wheels only |
| 0–00 split (US) | 17:1, the two greens together |
| Green hits how often? | 2.70%/spin EU · 5.26%/spin US |
| Is 0 odd or even? | Neither — zero sits outside every outside bet by rule |
| Betting green as “insurance”? | Costs the same 2.70% as everything else — and the 5-number version costs 7.89% |
Why green at all? Early Paris wheels colored the zeros red and black — confusion at the payouts forced a third color. The full origin story of the pockets sits on the wheel page; the price they create, on payouts.
Frequently asked
What does green pay in roulette?
35:1 as a straight-up bet — 0 and 00 pay exactly like any single number. On American wheels the 0-00 split pays 17:1.
Is 0 odd or even in roulette?
Neither, by rule: zero defeats odd/even, red/black, high/low and every other outside bet — that’s precisely how the house edge is constructed.
Should I bet on green to protect my outside bets?
It doesn’t protect anything — a green hedge is just another bet at the same house edge, and the 5-number American version (basket) is the worst bet on the felt at 7.89%.