Green Zero in Roulette: An Unique Betting Strategy

The game of Roulette always has had a certain amount of mystique around it. In the olden times, it was considered a casino game kept aside solely for the highest echelons of our societal systems. Perhaps, it has been confounded even more through its presentation in popular media. 

Whenever roulette shows up in a movie or a TV show, it’s about top-class casinos, high-rollers in abundance, mind-blowing stakes and blinding glamor all the way through. But while it is true that high-rollers love the game, the game is not mandatorily allocated only for them.

Anybody with interest, knowledge and a bit of a gambler’s intuition can play it. The game is pretty simple and guarantees excitement with loads of fun.

The small roulette wheel is packed with several things, and zero is one of the most important of them. The green zero and its significance varies though from one version of the game to another, even though the course of action remains the same. 

The green zero makes roulette highly unpredictable. It makes every stake highly risky, making the gameplay even more thrilling. It also makes every winning bet even more rewarding.

The green zero pocket will never be on anybody’s Christmas wishes, for sure. The stakes are at risk when the ball remains in that pocket. You may bet on red or black, odd or even; you can arrange your chips any way you like; you can even put bets on specific numbers- but when the ball strikes zero, you lose your stake.

But there is no real fun in betting without the fear of defeat, right? The green zero is incorporated to make the game much more exhilarating and to test your luck in the extreme. The house edge in green zero is what makes roulette the grandest game of luck. The tension makes the wins much more satisfying.

There’s a reason why the zero is green. You bet on the number and in lines, rows, and different colours of chips for normal numbers. However, the green zero is excluded from practically all roulette bets. And still, if you can incorporate the zero into your strategy, you can bet on it with assurance. A notable example is the James Bond method, in which you repeatedly place numerous bets with a small bet on the green zero.

The pro players in Roulette can be pretty superstitious. Many of them play all the same bets every time, while others follow their own pattern, which could be a perceived recipe for success. Their strategies can be polar opposites, but a thread that binds them together is their game for zero. Most of them share an unconscious bias against it, which prevents them from using it.

But keep in mind that, despite popular belief, the green zero does not possess any secret superpowers. That pocket does not have the ability to attract the ball; it is just bad luck. Roulette games are fair in any respectable casino, both land-based casinos like Big Daddy and online ones like Genesis Casino.  The games are strictly regulated and have a near-perfect track record. Regardless of the fact that hundreds of games are played each month, no intentional bias towards the green zero has been observed. 

The house edge in green zero is huge. In both the European and American wheels, the green zero means guaranteed money for the house. You’d need to hand out another bet to make up the losses for the spin that ended in green zero. 

Some may argue that there is no right or wrong method to play roulette. Well, that is not the case. While roulette is fundamentally a game of chance, skilled roulette players have evolved solid strategies throughout the years to optimize their winnings. The appropriate method is to spread your bets across as many spins as possible, giving yourself more opportunities to win large; the wrong way is to wager all you have at once and hope for a miracle.

While playing roulette, there are things you should always keep in mind related to green zero that will let you extract every bit of luck. To play like a pro, first, you need to learn to identify the lowest house edge and then stick to it for your dear life. Only new players get enticed by the double zero or triple zero, as those wheels have a much lower minimum bet amount than the single zero ones. 

But don’t fall for that trick. The single zero, usually found in European wheels, is your best bet to make money in the long run. One simple stat should be enough: triple zero pockets have 7.69% house edge (3 out of 39 pockets), the double zero sits at 5.26% (2 out of 38 pockets), whereas the single zero is much much lower with just 2.7% house edge (1 out of 37).

The value of Zero:

Zero started out as something abstract, as a signifier of nothingness. At first, many didn’t even consider it a number. 

Though things have changed, zero is still an integral part of modernity as the foundation of modernity is built upon computers, and computers run in binaries: just 0 and 1 all the way.  

Zero is known by many names such as ‘none’, ‘nought’, ‘nil’, ‘zip’, ‘zilch’, ‘nada’ etc. Every culture has its own pet name for zero. But the most interesting ones are probably given by sports like ‘duck’ in cricket and ‘love’ in tennis. 

The history of zero was even more interesting. Even ancient Greece, the birthplace of modern history, had no name for it and even doubted its validity as a number. Their point was not futile; they asked how a thing that’s actually nothing can be something. 

The practical idea of zero was fully fleshed out in India. Aryabhatta, a champion mathematician and astronomer who invented it in the 5th century, used it as a placeholder in square root and cube root equations that can be found in ancient treatises written in Sanskrit. 

Around 628 AD, Brahmagupta also introduced a symbol for zero, a tiny dot below numbers. 

Then came the Arabs. Arabic mathematics incorporated it and introduced the zero in a base-10 system to the western world (11th century) through the moors of Spain. 

Zero is nothing, and yet in a stroke of whimsical genius, mathematics has made it fit among even numbers. You can actually divide zero by two, and the result is the smallest of no-negative integers. 

Zero’s In Different Roulette Variations

1. The American- This version has two green zero pockets instead of one. One is called the green zero, and the other is double zero. It’s all the more frustrating that players have to face twice the trouble of the green zero and twice the chances of all the bets being forfeited. It has a 35/1 payout, but if you bet on it, it just doubles your chances of catching bad luck. The number of green zero pockets is the only thing that separates it from its European counterpart. 

The green zero and the double zero stand at opposite sides of the roulette wheel. In the American version, you can take advantage of several kinds of wagers. The players can choose to wager on any of the zero pockets or both of them. This provides a bit more range, and a little more flexibility in terms of selection. 

If you place bets on just one of the green zero pockets, the odds in payouts stand at 35/1, and your stake is returned in full separately. For example, if you wager 50 USD, the payback will be 1750 dollars plus the original stake of 50 dollars. In this version, the house edge stands at 5.26%.

2. The European- The European version of roulette is slightly different from the American one in terms of green zero. The problem, in this case, is the lack of variation in your selection for wagering. The European version has just one green zero. 

But there are a couple of benefits too. The first one is you have only one green zero pocket to be concerned about. And the second benefit is that your chances of winning the bet improve quite a bit as there are lesser numbers on the wheel. Hence, most of the experienced players choose the European table instead of the American version. 

It can be further simplified by basic math. The odds that get paid out on every single number is 35/1 for both versions, as the green zero is counted among single numbers too. But the main twist is in the odds of getting a single number or landing it. In the American version, it becomes 37/1 because of two green zero pockets, and the European one gives a bit of relief with 36/1 in terms of odds of landing one particular number.  

So, the European wheel in roulette gives you a somewhat better chance of getting the winning bet. Go for the European one if you want better opportunities to win. But if you’re more of a daredevil, and the thrill of risking it all makes sense to you, then the American one should be an easy choice.

3. La Partage- The green zero really comes into life when the rules of La Partage or En Prison are applied. They sound French and originate from France, but they don’t follow the spirit of the native game. Some roulette wheels choose to operate with these sets of rules, mostly in the European version of the game. Both of these ruling systems specifically target the green zero. And because both of them deduct the house edge, opting for a wheel with these rules in operation is always beneficial for the players.

The rules of ‘La Partage’ are pretty simple. Put any wager in even money options (can be divided by 2), and if that spin ends up in the green zero, you’ll not lose your full stake. Rather, you’ll get back half of it. As you can imagine, this makes managing your bankroll much easier, because even when you’re losing your bet, you’re getting half of the money you wagered, and that saves a lot of money which you can put back again. 

La Partage is mostly popular in European countries and the UK on the single zero roulette wheels. Even if you’re playing in an online casino, always check their website to see if they have this rule or not in even money stakes. 

La Partage brings down the house edge to just 1.35% from the already low 2.7% found in European wheels. This rule will only be applied in case the ball lands in the green zero, and the bets are placed on any one or multiple even money options from the six available outside chances, such as high/low (1-18, 19-36), odd/even and red/black. Half of the chip value you wagered is lost, and the rest will be returned to you. 

In double zero wheels, ‘Surrender’ does the same as La Partage, irrespective of which zero the ball lands on. In that case, the edge is reduced to 2.63% from the 5.26% you’ll find in the American roulette wheels. Usually, Atlantic City casinos have this rule, but it’s not available in all USA states, nor in every online platform.   

Even many casinos in the UK don’t follow this rule. If you’re playing a jackpot with random and progressive payouts, if a green zero happens, you’ll lose all of your even money except the wagers. Though, you can cover the green zeros to avoid losing all your stake in case this rule is not present. But, if you’re planning to wager on green zeros again and again as unique insurance bets, don’t do it. The fractional wagers may become an unintentional problem. Your bankroll will get reduced ultimately. Rather, build a backup to your wagers through a few games.

4. En Prison- The En Prison rule has many similarities with La Partage. But the biggest difference is that it’s all or nothing in its approach. 

The rule becomes applicable as soon as you place an even money wager. Then, if the spin ends up in a green zero, your stake would be imprisoned. The wheel will be set in motion once more. If your wager wins this time, you’ll get the whole stake back. 

Though there’s not much to choose between these two rules, La Partage is slightly better for most of the players. Of course, there are people who would rather lose the whole stake in search of winning it all back, but La Partage gives a guarantee to give half of the money back, whereas En Prison is all about risk-taking and bravado. 

The common thing between them is that both work in favor of the players rather than the casino. So, if you find a wheel with these rules, it’s always advantageous for you. So, it’s pretty easy to guess why so few casinos all over the world actually follow these rules. 

How to play Green Zero:

Many gamblers don’t think that green zero is fair. Betting on red, you’ll lose if a black or the dreaded green zero comes up, and if the ball lands on zero, you’re even more unlucky and lose the whole stake.

There are variations of roulette wheels like ‘NextGen European Roulette’ where different rules like La Partage are used, softening the blow quite a bit. Even if your ball lands in zero, the casino refunds half of whatever you wagered in even money bets. The same rules are used in the French variation of roulette as well. 

Other than that, it’s very hard to avoid the consequences of the green zero. You can place an additional side bet on the green zero for some protection, but it’s not advisable. You’re much better at facing the zero head-ons and then planning your future bets. 

But there are ways to get around. For example, a pretty sensible strategy you can use to diminish green zero’s effects is to play roulette only when and where the single zero European variation is available. Overlook the American variation completely. 

One green zero is already too much for many players. Just think how much worse it may get if there are two of those.

Another strategy to cover green zeros is to place a ‘Voisins du Zero’ bet. These bets are placed on specific numbers, that are, 22 to 25, plus the zero itself. These numbers are neighbours or ‘voisins’ of zero. 

And if you’re headstrong about playing the American-style roulette wheel, you can counter the possibility of zero by placing the worst bet in Roulette, combining zero, double zero, one, two and three. You’ll need an iron heart after that, though. It’s so bad that even fate will think twice before making it true. 

You can also place a ‘Jeu Zero’ bet, which is pretty similar to ‘Voisins du Zero’. In European roulette, this can help you cover the green zero by using just four chips to combine six neighbours of zero.

Green Zero Payouts

Keeping in mind the most unfortunate consequence of getting a green zero, many experienced players place bets on the zero regularly and religiously. This strategy is a compromise that screams: better the devil you now. 

If everything does go wrong, this sort of bet will at least give you something in return when many others are left cursing their luck. And the payout is not too shabby, either. The green zero’s odds are good enough at 35/1, which means just a 5-dollar bet can return you 175 dollars in a winning bet. Pretty good, wouldn’t you say, especially considering that this is the worst thing that can happen in a roulette spin.

But it’s not that easy to get the green zero when you want it to come up. Generally, it only comes up to mess with your game plan and bankroll. The odds are placed so high on green zero because it rarely comes up. If variance doesn’t contribute, the ball will land on a zero on one single occasion among 37 spins. 

Many gamblers think that the green zero pops up its head way too often, but it seems that way because they’ve all lost money due to it at some point in time, and that past experience keeps on stinging them. 

The significance of Green Zero:

By now, you know that the green zero pocket gives every casino a pretty big house edge. The house takes the whole lot when the ball hits zero. So, practically, all your even money bets have an 18/37 chance, not the ideal 50/50 you’d wish for. So, the casinos are evil, right? 

Not really. Nobody likes to lose money, but we all have to accept the house edge rules because every table, every slot, has it. 

And, if you’re after big money and huge wins, the green zero actually offers the same payout as any other single-numbered wager. But the problem is that it also has the least chance of winning a bet. In the European version, any single number has a meagre 2.7% chance. And in the American variation of roulette, the number gets a bit smaller and stands at 2.6%. 

So, its significance lies in its duality. It’s bad, but it pays well. If you like to play by your wits, then you should leave the green zero alone; and if it happens, it happens. But those who like to spice up their game and have a crack at winning big can bet on it as well. Their motto must be: let the chips fall wherever they may.

The Banning

In the 1960s, the UK government took a really hardline stance on roulette. In 1967, a bill passed by the House of Lords banned all roulette wheels from having the green zero. They pointed out the difference between the projected win in a single number and the real chances of getting that win after house edge. Their verdict was that casinos shouldn’t have any kind of house edge at all. So, the best a casino could expect was to somehow break even.

But what they missed was to keep in mind the operating costs of a casino. All the workers in hospitality, the croupier, had to be paid. Then came the taxes, the electricity bills, and a thousand different expenses of running such a huge establishment. 

Casinos still offered free drinks but added a charge to enter the main casino. And that made roulette an obsolete game. 

But this didn’t last very long. Just in the next year, 1968, everything changed with the introduction of the 1968 Gaming Act. It started removing all the corrupt people from the casino business. The house edge was also deemed legal if the casino ran its business fairly. And, with that, the green zero came back to roulette.

Different Uses of Green Zero:

1. Not-so-unique odds: The green colour is unique in the roulette wheel and pops up from the red and black pockets. Many newcomers think that betting on green zero can counter its consequences. But that’s just a myth. You can pick any number to place bets on, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that a particular one has more chances of coming up than the others. The chances of straight-up wins on any single number is the same, 35/1. Don’t chase the green zero, as it will provide nothing better than any other single number on the wheel.

2. Marker for timing: Some pro-level roulette players use the green zero as a timing marker in single zero variation of wheels. These players surely have great eyesight, though. 

They fix their sight on the wheels’ far side and focus on the green zero when the wheel is spinning.  Its colour makes it easier to track. When the ball slows, they guess how many revolutions the ball makes in the ball track. This exercise in motion awareness helps them calculate the probable landing zone of the ball if it doesn’t bounce or deflect too much. 

If they can guess it before the croupier announces ‘no more bets’, they can make particular wagers as call bets such as ‘Orphelins’, ‘Tiers du Cylindre’ or ‘Voisins du Zéro’. In a physical casino, this is done by moving chips towards the dealer. And if you’re betting online, you can do it on your own from the layout.  

This insane level of tracking and predicting needs a whole lot of time to master. This is more of a skill, not just wild guesses. A part of the decisions may rely on guesswork, but the process is all about getting a better estimate of the number of revolutions the ball makes before settling within the wheel and with that in mind, guessing the area it will fall into. All of it needs to be done in seconds. But if you can, it’s a huge advantage in placing winning bets.