The extra pocket changes the arithmetic, not the payout
A player walking up to a roulette table usually checks the felt for minimums, maybe glances at the wheel. The question worth asking first is quieter: how many green pockets does that wheel have? The answer determines how fast your money drains, because the double zero is not a special winning number. It is a house number. It pays like any other straight-up winner if you happen to have bet it, but its real job is to sit there every spin, unbet by most players, tilting the odds.
On a European wheel there are 37 pockets: the numbers 0 through 36. On an American wheel there are 38, because the layout adds a second green pocket marked 00. That single extra compartment is the entire difference between two games that otherwise look identical. It does not change what a winning bet pays. A straight-up win still pays 35 to 1 on both wheels. What changes is how often the bet wins, and that is where the double zero does its work.
Suppose you place one unit on a single number. On the European wheel, that number occupies one pocket in 37. On the American wheel, one pocket in 38. The payout has not improved to compensate for the longer odds. You are being paid as though the wheel had 36 pockets, while the wheel has 37 or 38. The gap between those two numbers is the house edge, and the double zero widens it.
What the double zero is worth
The cleanest way to see the value of the double zero is to compare the same bet across the two wheel types. The table below sets out the difference for the most common bets, using the fact that a European wheel has 37 pockets and an American wheel has 38.
| Bet | Payout | European wheel (37 pockets) | American wheel (38 pockets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up single number | 35 to 1 | One winning pocket in 37 | One winning pocket in 38 |
| Split (two numbers) | 17 to 1 | Two winning pockets in 37 | Two winning pockets in 38 |
| Street (three numbers) | 11 to 1 | Three winning pockets in 37 | Three winning pockets in 38 |
| Red or black | 1 to 1 | 18 winning pockets, 19 losing | 18 winning pockets, 20 losing |
| Odd or even | 1 to 1 | 18 winning pockets, 19 losing | 18 winning pockets, 20 losing |
Look at the even-money rows. On a European wheel, red covers 18 pockets while black plus the single zero cover 19. On an American wheel, red still covers 18, but black plus both zeros cover 20. The payout for red stays 1 to 1 either way. The double zero is the extra losing pocket that the payout pretends is not there.
That is the honest answer to what the double zero is worth: it is worth one additional house number on every spin, on every bet, whether or not anyone places a chip on it. It does not have to be bet to cost you money. It simply has to exist.
Why the house edge widens
House edge and RTP are complements: they sum to 100% for the same game. When one moves, the other moves in the opposite direction. Adding a pocket to the wheel without raising payouts lowers the share of wagers the game returns over a very large number of spins, which is what RTP measures. The double zero is the mechanism that moves both numbers against the player.
On a straight-up bet, the European wheel gives the house its edge from one extra pocket beyond the 36 that the 35-to-1 payout implies. The American wheel gives the house two extra pockets. That is a material difference, and it repeats on every spin. The double zero does not change volatility in any simple way; it changes the long-run expected rate of loss. A player who sits at an American table is accepting a faster average drain than a player making the same bets at a single-zero table, all else equal.
Some American tables soften this with a rule variant, most commonly a version where even-money bets lose only half the stake when the ball lands in zero or double zero. Where that rule is in force, the edge on those specific even-money bets narrows. The rule is printed on the table layout or in the game information panel, and it applies to the bets named in the rule, not to the whole table. If you cannot see it posted, assume the standard full-loss rule applies.
Reading the wheel before you buy in
You do not need to memorise edge percentages to make a sound choice. You need to count the green pockets. A wheel with a single green zero is the 37-pocket layout. A wheel with a green zero and a green double zero is the 38-pocket layout. The difference is visible from across the room, and it is the single most important mechanical fact about the table you are about to join.
The sequence of a round is the same on either wheel. You buy in at the table, receive coloured chips that are valid only at that table, and place bets on the layout before the croupier calls no more bets. The ball is released, settles in a pocket, and the croupier clears losing bets before paying winners. The double zero sits among the losing pockets on most spins, and on the spins when it hits, every bet that does not cover it loses outright unless a half-loss rule is in force.
New players sometimes assume the 00 pays more than 0, or that a bet on 0 also covers 00. Neither is true. They are separate pockets, separate bets, and each pays the standard straight-up rate. Another common mistake is treating the two green pockets as a single bet by placing chips on the line between them; that is a split bet covering exactly those two numbers, and it pays 17 to 1, not the 35 to 1 of a straight-up win.
What the double zero means for your session
The double zero does not make any individual spin more dangerous. It makes every spin slightly more expensive, and the effect compounds across a session. The slower you play and the fewer bets you place, the less the extra pocket costs you in absolute terms. The faster you play, the more spins the double zero gets to work against you.
This is not a strategy point about how to win. No bet selection removes the extra pocket, and no progression changes the fact that the payout schedule ignores it. The choice a player genuinely controls is which wheel to sit at. A single-zero wheel is available in many venues and in most online lobbies, often listed as European roulette or French roulette. The American layout with the double zero is a different game with a different long-run cost, and the cost is built into the wheel itself.
If the table offers a rule that returns half the stake on even-money bets when a zero hits, that rule changes the edge on those bets only. It does not erase the double zero, and it does not apply to inside bets. Read the posted rule before you rely on it.
FAQ
Does the double zero pay more than the single zero?
No. Both green pockets pay the standard straight-up rate of 35 to 1 when bet individually. The double zero is not a premium number; it is an additional house pocket that makes every other bet slightly less likely to win.
Can I bet on both zeros at once?
Yes, by placing a chip on the line shared by the 0 and 00 on the layout. That is a split bet covering exactly two numbers and it pays 17 to 1. It is not the same as a straight-up bet on a single zero, and it does not cover any other number.
Is American roulette always the worse choice?
For the same bet under the same rule set, the 38-pocket American layout carries a wider house edge than the 37-pocket European layout. A half-loss rule on even-money bets narrows the gap for those bets specifically, but the extra pocket remains on every spin. The posted table rules determine what applies where you play.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.