Selphybrand
Russian Game.
Two players either take turns spinning and firing the revolver so that each successive turn has an equal probability of failure, or, the players simply take turns without spinning the cylinders until one is shot . Assuming a common 6 round cylinder, the probability of failure after spinning is approximately 1/6th. (This is affected by weight of the bullet, direction spin and angle the gun is held at while spinning the cylinder.) If playing with more than two players, without re-spinning, the initial probability of each player for being killed is 1/6th, but the probability of being killed changes every time the trigger is pulled. The second player has a 1/5th (20%) probability of being killed, and the probability of the third player 1/4th (25%). Until the sixth player when the chance of being killed is 1/1 (100%) assuming the cartridge works (however, since the probability of the 6th player getting to pull the trigger is equal to the probability of the first five not being killed, the initial probability of him being killed is (5/6) * (4/5) * (3/4) * (2/3) * (1/2) = 1/6, the same as the first player's chance). In the former case, where they re-spin the chamber, the game could continue, indefinitely and gamblers could presumably only wager on which players will survive and how many turns the game will last.
Russian Game.
Two players either take turns spinning and firing the revolver so that each successive turn has an equal probability of failure, or, the players simply take turns without spinning the cylinders until one is shot . Assuming a common 6 round cylinder, the probability of failure after spinning is approximately 1/6th. (This is affected by weight of the bullet, direction spin and angle the gun is held at while spinning the cylinder.) If playing with more than two players, without re-spinning, the initial probability of each player for being killed is 1/6th, but the probability of being killed changes every time the trigger is pulled. The second player has a 1/5th (20%) probability of being killed, and the probability of the third player 1/4th (25%). Until the sixth player when the chance of being killed is 1/1 (100%) assuming the cartridge works (however, since the probability of the 6th player getting to pull the trigger is equal to the probability of the first five not being killed, the initial probability of him being killed is (5/6) * (4/5) * (3/4) * (2/3) * (1/2) = 1/6, the same as the first player's chance). In the former case, where they re-spin the chamber, the game could continue, indefinitely and gamblers could presumably only wager on which players will survive and how many turns the game will last.