American Roulette: Navigating the Double-Zero Wheel

American roulette conventionally uses 38 pockets: numbers 1–36, zero and double zero. This guide explains how the additional pocket changes probabilities and why the five-number basket has a different house edge from most standard bets. The name identifies a format, not a guarantee of Canadian availability.

The Defining Feature: The 38th Pocket

The most immediate difference you will notice on an American Roulette table is the presence of two green pockets: the single zero (0) and the double zero (00). While the European wheel features 37 pockets, the American wheel has 38.

The wheel sequence differs from a single-zero wheel and from the numerical grid used to display bets. Pocket position does not by itself make an outcome more likely on a fair wheel.

Understanding the House Edge

For the savvy Canadian player, the “Double Zero” is more than just a visual difference; it is a mathematical one. Because the payouts for winning bets remain the same as the European version (for example, 35:1 for a straight-up bet), but the number of possible outcomes is higher, the house edge is significantly increased.

• European Roulette House Edge: 2.70%
• American Roulette House Edge: approximately 5.26% on most conventional bets; the five-number basket differs

For a conventional straight-up bet, theoretical return is 36/38, approximately 94.74%, compared with 36/37, approximately 97.30%, on the single-zero version. This is an expected return over stakes, not a guaranteed percentage of an opening balance.

The Exclusive “Basket Bet” (Five-Number Bet)

One of the unique features of American Roulette is a specific wager that is physically impossible on a single-zero table. This is known as the Five-Number Bet or the Basket Bet.

To place this wager, you position your chips on the line that separates the zeros from the first row of numbers (1, 2, and 3). This bet covers five specific numbers: 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.

At a 6:1 profit payout, the basket has winning probability 5/38, approximately 13.16%. A win returns seven times the stake including the original stake, so expected return is 7 × 5/38 = 35/38. The house edge is therefore 3/38, approximately 7.89%, rather than the usual 5.26%.

Conventional Payouts

The following ratios show profit on a winning stake. The original stake is returned separately. Specific variants may alter these payouts.

Inside Bets

Just like other variants, you can place “Inside” bets directly on the numbers or the lines between them.

• Straight Up: A single number (35:1)
• Split: Two numbers (17:1)
• Street: Three numbers in a row (11:1)
• Corner: Four numbers in a square (8:1)

Outside Bets

These are placed on the boxes surrounding the number grid.

• Red/Black: 1:1 payout
• Odd/Even: 1:1 payout
• High/Low (1-18 or 19-36): 1:1 payout
• Dozens & Columns: 2:1 payout

One important rule in American Roulette is that if the ball lands on either 0 or 00, all outside even-money bets (like Red/Black) are lost. Unlike some French versions of the game, there is usually no “La Partage” rule to return half of your stake.

Zero Settlements and Surrender

Without a special concession, both 0 and 00 lose for red/black, odd/even and high/low. Each side of those even-money bets covers 18 of 38 pockets, giving approximately 47.37% winning probability. Neither zero belongs to the dozens or columns.

Where a stated surrender rule returns half of a qualifying even-money stake on either zero, expected loss becomes 1/38, approximately 2.63%. This is a rule-specific calculation, not a feature guaranteed by the American label.

House Edge Is Different from Volatility

The additional zero changes expected return. It does not establish a universally faster pace, a particular level of balance fluctuation or a guaranteed session length. Those also depend on stakes, bet combinations and outcomes.

An outside wager is not a safety net for an inside wager. The combined return must be compared with the total staked, and some outcomes can lose both. A progression cannot remove the negative expectation.

Related Explanations

Compare European roulette, French zero rules and roulette probability calculations. The inside and outside bet guide covers combined-stake accounting. WinnerOnline provides information and does not host tables.

Explore the full section: roulette variations.