American roulette keeps a separate field on five numbers: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. European roulette does not have this field, because it has no 00. The payout here is 6 to 1. For any other bet on the table the payout is arranged so that a full pass of 38 pockets takes 2 units out of 38 staked. Five number takes 3.
Five pockets out of 38 is 13.16% of spins, about one spin out of eight. A hit returns a profit of 6 and the chip itself. A miss takes the chip. On the RoulCoin wheel there are no other “green packages”: 0 and 00 separately pay like an ordinary number, 35 to 1, and they are not in this package until the chip stands specifically on Five number.
The share of Five number is 7.89 per 100 staked. The share of a color, a Dozen, a Line and one number is 5.26. The difference is 2.63 units per 100. This is the worst payout on this cloth, not a hidden bonus for covering both zeros.
Why a full pass on American roulette gives minus 3
If over 38 spins each pocket came up exactly once, five hits would bring 5 × 6 = 30, and 33 misses would take 33. The result is −3 with 38 staked. A color, one number, a Street and a Line in the same pass give −2. The ruler does not promise that an evening of 38 spins will go that way. It shows the payout without a lucky streak.
| A bet of one chip | Payout | Hits out of 38 | Result of the pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color | 1 to 1 | 18 | −2 |
| One number | 35 to 1 | 1 | −2 |
| Street, three numbers | 11 to 1 | 3 | −2 |
| Line, six numbers | 5 to 1 | 6 | −2 |
| Five number | 6 to 1 | 5 | −3 |
A Street of three numbers pays 11 to 1 and stays at −2 in the pass. Five number pays 6 to 1, although the field holds more numbers than a Street. The payout does not reach the one that would put the package level with the rest of the table. From that comes the extra unit of minus: −3 instead of −2.
What this is in a hundred chips
A hundred units on Five number on average give the table 7.89. A hundred on a color gives 5.26. On 500 units the exact difference of the shares equals 500/38, about 13.16, in the table’s favor on top of the ordinary share. A larger chip multiplies both numbers and does not repair the fraction.
| Where 100 is staked | Expected result | Expected result from 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Color, number, Street or Line | −5.26 | −26.32 |
| Five number | −7.89 | −39.47 |
7.89 × 5 = 39.45, while the exact share of 3/38 of 500 equals 39.47. The table uses the exact share, not 7.89 rounded five times. The gap of two hundredths comes from 7.89 already being rounded. It is better to count by the fraction: out of 38 units staked the package takes 3.
What the package covers and what it does not
The package holds exactly 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. Number 4 is already a miss. Line 1–6 is also a miss if the chip stands only on Five number: 4, 5 and 6 are not in the package. A separate chip on 0 does not replace the package and does not cover 00.
| Five number | One chip on 0 | Street 1–2–3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | profit 6 | profit 35 | loss |
| 00 | profit 6 | loss | loss |
| 1, 2 or 3 | profit 6 | loss | profit 11 |
| 4 and any other number | loss | loss | loss, if it is not 1–3 |
For a player in England both zeros enter the package only together with 1, 2 and 3, and only at a price of 6 to 1. A time zone does not raise the payout to 35 and does not throw 00 off the wheel.
Five number covers both zeros and pays 6 to 1. Over 38 different pockets that is −3, whereas the rest of the table on the same ruler gives −2.
When the package is staked if you play online
The package makes sense only if the player wants exactly these five pockets and accepts 7.89 per 100, not if the aim is to “cover the zeros more cheaply.” One chip on 0 covers one pocket at the ordinary share of 5.26. Two chips, on 0 and on 00, cover both zeros also at 5.26 per 100 of their own units and do not cover 1, 2 and 3. You can play online for money after an account is created. A live balance does not reduce the share of 3/38.
- The package payout is 6 to 1, not 35 to 1 and not 11 to 1.
- The field has five pockets: 0, 00, 1, 2, 3. Four is already a miss.
- Per 100 staked, expect a minus of about 7.89, not 5.26.
- Doubling after a miss does not repair this fraction. The next chip again sits on the same five numbers at the same payout.
Why “both zeros in one chip” is not a discount
A discount would be covering five pockets and staying at minus 2 for the pass, the way a Street stays at minus 2 for three pockets. The package covers five and goes to minus 3. Both zeros are in it. The payout for that is lower than for the other bets on the table.
Does Five number pay 6 to 1 or 35 to 1?
6 to 1. A profit of 35 comes from a separate chip on one number, including on 0 alone. The package does not pay that way for 0 or for 00.
Over 38 different pockets, does the package give minus 2?
No, minus 3. Five wins of 6 give 30, and thirty-three misses take 33. A color and one number in the same pass give −2.
How does 7.89 differ from 5.26?
5.26 is the share per 100 staked for a color, a number, a Street and a Line. 7.89 is the share of Five number. On 100 units the package is on average more expensive than an ordinary bet by 2.63.
Does Street 1–2–3 already include the zeros?
No. Street 1–2–3 pays 11 to 1 and loses on 0 and on 00. The zeros belong to the Five number package, and the payout there is 6 to 1.
Both zeros in one cell look like a convenient field specifically on an American wheel. Neighboring playing strategies stay at a share of 5.26, if they do not stake this cell. Before the chip it is worth deciding whether 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 are actually wanted at a price of minus 3 for a pass of the pockets.