Russian Roulette in Popular Culture

Russian Roulette In Popular Culture

Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against their head, and pulls the trigger. "Russian" refers to the supposed country of origin, and roulette to the element of risk-taking and the spinning of the revolver's cylinder being reminiscent of spinning a roulette wheel. Because only one chamber is loaded, the player has only one in n chance of hitting the loaded chamber, where n is the total number of chambers in the cylinder. So, for instance, in a revolver that holds six rounds, the chance is one in six; for a revolver that holds five, the chance - or risk - is one in five. Whilst the above calculation of the odds is correct in a purely mathematical sense, it does not take physics into account: A properly maintained and lubricated weapon with a single round in the cylinder will still be subject to the laws of gravity, meaning the full chamber which weighs more will usually end up near the bottom of the cylinder, altering the odds further in the player's favour - but only if the cylinder is allowed to come to a complete stop before the cylinder is relatched.