The 00 pocket pays like any other number, but it changes the game
A player who puts a chip directly on the double zero and wins is paid 35 to 1. That means a winning one-unit bet returns 35 units of profit plus the original chip, for 36 units back in total. The payout itself is identical to a winning bet on 7, on 23, or on any other single number on the layout. What makes the double zero different is not what it pays when it hits, but what its presence does to every other bet on the table.
The wheel that carries a double zero has 38 pockets: the numbers 1 through 36, a single zero, and a double zero. A wheel with only a single zero has 37 pockets. That extra pocket does not change the payout schedule for any bet, but it does change the probability that any given bet wins. A straight-up bet on a single number on the American layout wins on one pocket out of 38, while the same bet on a European layout wins on one pocket out of 37. The payout stays 35 to 1 either way, which is where the difference in house edge comes from.
How the payout is calculated
Roulette payouts are fixed multiples of the stake, printed on the table layout or in the game's information panel. A straight-up bet on any single number, including 0 or 00, pays 35 to 1. A split bet covering two adjacent numbers pays 17 to 1. A street covering three numbers pays 11 to 1. The payout is the same whether the number is a zero, a double zero, or a regular number. What changes across wheel types is how many losing pockets sit on the wheel, not what the winning bets return.
If a game returned 97.3% of all wagers over a very large number of spins, the house edge on that game would be 2.7%, because house edge and RTP sum to 100% for the same game under the same rule set. On an American wheel, the extra pocket pushes the return lower on most bets, because the player is being paid as though there were 36 outcomes when there are in fact 38. The casino does not need to alter the payout to gain an advantage; the wheel geometry does that work.
What the double zero does to each bet type
Every bet on the table is affected by the extra pocket, but not all in the same proportion. The table below compares the main bet types on a double-zero wheel with the same bet on a single-zero wheel, using the payout schedule that both layouts share.
| Bet type | Numbers covered | Payout | Single-zero wheel (37 pockets) | Double-zero wheel (38 pockets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
| Red/black, odd/even, high/low | 18 | 1 to 1 | Lower house edge | Higher house edge |
The pattern is uniform: the payout schedule is identical on both wheels, but the double-zero wheel gives every bet one extra losing pocket. No bet on the American layout escapes the effect. The difference is most visible on the even-money bets, where a player might expect close to a coin flip but is facing a materially larger disadvantage because the zeros are neither red nor black, neither odd nor even, and neither high nor low.
The sequence of a round, from buy-in to settlement
A roulette round moves through a fixed sequence. The player buys in at the table or loads the game screen, exchanging cash or account funds for chips. On a live table, the dealer may use special chips for that player so that stacks can be told apart. The player then places bets on the layout before the dealer calls an end to betting. The ball is released in the opposite direction to the wheel's spin, and when it settles in a pocket, the dealer marks the winning number, clears losing bets, and pays winners according to the fixed schedule.
The decision points are all before the spin. A player chooses which numbers or groups to cover, how much to stake on each, and whether to spread chips across several bets. Once the ball is in motion, nothing the player does changes the outcome. The payout for any winning bet is determined entirely by the bet type, not by the number that came up. A win on 00 pays exactly what a win on 17 pays, and the house edge on the bet was fixed before the ball was released.
Where the double zero fits into the wider house edge picture
Roulette is unusual among table games in that the player cannot change the house edge on a given bet after choosing it. In blackjack, decisions like hitting, standing, doubling and splitting change the expected loss on a hand, and published basic-strategy charts derive from the specific rule set in use. In craps, different bet types on the same table carry materially different house edges, and a player can choose the lower-edge bets. Baccarat offers banker, player and tie bets with different edges, the tie bet being the highest. Roulette offers no such decision layer: every bet on a given wheel carries its own fixed edge, and the only meaningful choice is which wheel to play and which bet to place.
A player who wants the lower house edge on the same bet should look for a single-zero wheel, which some venues offer alongside the double-zero layout. The game information panel or the table's posted rules will state the wheel type. The payout schedule is the same; the number of pockets is not.
Procedural mistakes that cost new players
The first mistake is assuming the double zero pays more than other numbers because it is special. It does not. A straight bet on 00 pays 35 to 1, exactly like a straight bet on any other single number. The specialness of the double zero is that it exists at all, and that it adds a losing pocket to every bet on the table.
The second mistake is betting after the dealer has called an end to betting. On a live table, late bets are returned or refused, and in an online game the interface simply will not accept them. A player who is still deciding where to place chips while the ball is already moving has missed the decision window for that round.
The third mistake is misreading the payout schedule. A player who places a chip on the line between two numbers has made a split bet, not two straight bets, and will be paid 17 to 1, not 35 to 1. A chip placed on the corner where four numbers meet pays 8 to 1. The payout is determined by where the chip sits on the layout, and the table's printed schedule is the authority.
What the double zero means for a session
The double zero does not change the variance of a roulette session in the way that a slot's volatility setting does. Volatility describes how payouts are distributed over time, and it does not change a game's RTP. In roulette, the distribution of outcomes is fixed by the wheel itself. What the double zero changes is the long-run expected loss on every bet, because the player is being paid as though there were one fewer losing pocket than there is.
A player sitting down at a double-zero wheel is not making a mistake by doing so; they are choosing a game with a higher house edge than the single-zero alternative. The payout for any given win is the same. The frequency of winning is lower. Over a large number of spins, that difference compounds, and no betting pattern changes it. A progression system that raises stakes after losses redistributes when the losses land; it does not remove the edge that the extra pocket creates.
FAQ
Does the double zero pay more than a regular number?
No. A straight-up bet on the double zero pays 35 to 1, the same as a straight-up bet on any other single number. The double zero is not a jackpot pocket; it is simply one more losing outcome on the wheel.
Why does the double zero make the house edge higher if the payout is the same?
Because the payout schedule is built around 36 paying outcomes, but the double-zero wheel has 38 pockets. The player is paid as though there were one fewer losing pocket, so over a large number of spins the casino keeps a larger share of the money wagered.
Can I bet on both zero and double zero at once?
Yes. A split bet covering the 0 and 00 pockets pays 17 to 1, the same as any other two-number split. The bet wins if either zero comes up, but it still carries the higher house edge of the double-zero wheel because the wheel has 38 pockets.
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