What is a zero game bet in roulette?

Single-zero roulette, also known as European or French roulette, offers a selection of traditional bets, known as ‘call’ or ‘French’ bets, on combinations of numbers according to their position on the roulette wheel. One such bet, known as ‘les (grand) voisins du zéro’, or ‘the (big) neighbours of zero’, includes seventeen numbers surrounding, and including, zero and requires nine chips, which are placed on several split and corner bets.

By contrast, the so-called ‘zero game’ bet, also known as ‘jeu zéro’or ‘zero spiel’ bet, includes just seven numbers, namely 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15, and requires just four chips, placed on three split bets and a straight up, or ‘en plein’, bet. The three split bets are placed between 0-3, 12-15 and 32-35, respectively, and the straight up bet is placed on 26. Consequently, the payout for a winning zero game bet varies from 17:1, in the case of a winning split, and 35:1, in the case of a winning straight up bet.

Being a call bet, only the croupier is allowed to place the chips required for a zero game bet on the layout and does so in response to players calling out the bet – hence the name – and handing over the requisite number of chips. Call bets are based on the sequence of numbers on the roulette wheel, so a zero game bet is available exclusively on single-zero roulette wheels; the numbers on double-zero, or triple-zero, roulette wheels are arranged in a different sequence.