American roulette keeps a separate Split on exactly two green pockets: 0 and 00. European roulette does not offer that field; it has no second zero. The Split pays 17 to 1. One chip covers both zeros. A hit on either of them brings a profit of 17. Any number from 1 to 36 takes the chip.
The chance is 2 out of 38, which is 5.26% of spins, about one spin out of 19. If over 38 spins each pocket came up once, two hits would give 2 × 17 = 34, and 36 misses would take 36. The result is −2 with 38 staked. That is the ordinary 5.26 per 100, not a special price for the green pockets.
Next to it on the table is the Five number field: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 with one chip, paying 6 to 1. The same pass through 38 pockets gives −3 there, a share of 7.89. The zero Split covers only the greens and stays at −2. The package covers three more numbers and pays worse for that.
Three ways to cover the zeros on American roulette
All three ways below are about the same pass: each pocket once. The chips are whole, with no fractions.
| How the zeros are covered | Stake per spin | If 0 lands | Result of a pass through 38 pockets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split 0 and 00 | 1 | +17 | −2 |
| Two Straight up chips, on 0 and on 00 | 2 | +34 | −4 |
| Five number | 1 | +6 | −3 |
Two Straight up chips, when zero lands, give a profit of 35 on zero and minus 1 on 00: +34 net. A miss on both costs −2. Over a full pass, two hits bring 68, thirty-six misses take 72, and the result is −4 with 76 staked. Dividing −4 by 76 is the same 5.26 as the −2 of one Split. The Split is the same coverage of two zeros, gathered into one chip: +17 instead of +34, and a stake of 1 instead of 2.
What the Split does not cover
The numbers 1, 2 and 3 are not in the Split of 0/00. They need their own fields: Street 1–2–3 pays 11 to 1 and loses the zeros, while the Five number package pays 6 to 1 and wins the zeros. The Split does not become that package just because the chip sits next to one on the layout.
| Split 0 and 00 | Five number | A Straight up chip only on 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | +17 | +6 | +35 |
| 00 | +17 | +6 | −1 |
| 1, 2 or 3 | −1 | +6 | −1 |
| Any number 4–36 | −1 | −1 | −1 |
A Straight up chip on one zero pays 35 to 1 and leaves the second zero bare. Over a full pass it, like any single number, gives −2 on 38 staked. The Split does not change the share; it changes the picture: a win comes up less often than with one number, but the win covers both greens, and the profit is 17, not 35.
One spin out of nineteen
2/38 is exactly one chance out of 19. Eight misses in a row cost 8, if the chip is 1 each time. Nineteen misses cost 19 and on average sit right next to one hit of +17: 19 misses and one hit give −2, which matches the full pass. A live stretch of 19 spins is not promised that way. The hit can come on the first spin, or it can fail to come even within thirty.
| Stretch of a flat chip | Misses cost | One hit on top of them |
|---|---|---|
| 8 spins missed | 8 | +17 − 8 = +9, if the hit was the ninth |
| 17 spins missed | 17 | +17 − 17 = 0 |
| 19 spins missed | 19 | +17 − 19 = −2 |
For a player in England both zeros remain two different pockets. The Split hits either of them and does not hit number 1. A time zone does not raise the payout from 17 to 1 up to 35.
One chip on 0 and 00 pays 17 to 1 and over 38 different pockets gives −2. Five number on the same pass gives −3.
How not to place the Split past the line if you play online
The line between 0 and 00 is narrow. A chip that has slid onto 0 alone already pays 35 to 1 and loses on 00. Playing online for free, this line is convenient to check on a virtual balance. Guest chips do not turn into a withdrawal, and the highlight of two pockets shows that both zeros are covered, not one.
- The Split payout is 17 to 1, not 35 and not 6.
- The field holds only 0 and 00. Number 2 is already a miss.
- After a miss the chip is not doubled, unless a ladder is written down separately.
- The Five number package does not replace this Split: the package has a different payout and a different share.
Why +17 on two zeros is not better than one number
One number pays 35 at a chance of 1/38. The Split pays 17 at a chance of 2/38. A pass through both gives −2 on 38 units staked. The Split is needed when both greens are wanted with one chip. For the table’s share it is not milder than a Straight up bet on 17, and not harsher than that bet.
Does the Split of 0 and 00 pay 35 to 1?
No, 17 to 1. A profit of 35 comes from a Straight up chip on one pocket. If 00 lands, a Straight up chip on 0 loses, and the Split wins.
Over 38 different pockets, does the Split give minus 3?
No, minus 2. Two wins of 17 give 34, and thirty-six misses take 36. Minus 3 on the same pass belongs to Five number, not to this Split.
Are two Straight up chips on 0 and 00 more profitable?
Not by share. They give −4 with 76 staked, which is the same 5.26 per 100. The win is larger, +34, because two chips are on the table, not one.
Does number 1 belong to this Split?
No. Only 0 and 00. One, two and three belong to the Five number package, where the payout is 6 to 1.
Both zeros with one chip look like a separate American bet with a special price. Neighboring playing strategies either cover five pockets at a worse share, or bet on one pocket with a profit of 35. The Split is worth checking by the highlight: two green pockets and not a single number.