Why is Russian roulette so-called? It’s called ‘roulette’ because the spinning of the revolver’s cylinder resembles the spinning of the roulette wheel and there’s an element of chance involved. The word ‘Russian’ is featured in the game’s name because it supposedly originated in Russia. The first known mention of the game was in an 1840 story ‘The Fatalist’ by Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov. Since then, the game has featured in many TV shows, films and other written stories; it’s also been played by people in real life, often with fatal consequences.

It goes without saying that playing the proper version of Russian roulette with a loaded gun is seriously not recommended. Even though many have survived, there’s still a chance of dying. Some people have come up with safe alternatives that are based on the game’s core mechanics but don’t involve anything life-threatening. Most of these are drinking games that, at worst, will get you a bit drunk. Here’s a look at two of the main Russian roulette-inspired drinking games and how they’re played.

Beer Hunter

This is a version of Russian roulette that can actually be quite entertaining and funny, especially if you’re a bystander. The way the game works is straightforward. Six closed cans of beer are used and one of them is shaken vigorously. The cans are then mixed up so that no one knows which one has been shaken. Players then take it in turns to open a can directly beneath their nose. Whoever opens the can that’s been shaken gets a load of beer sprayed up their nose and is the loser. This game doesn’t involve and risk of death or anything like that – it’s completely safe and the most that will happen to you is that you’ll get a shock when a surge of beer shoots up your nose. It can get a bit messy, so be prepared to clean up some beer spillage when the shaken can is opened. It doesn’t matter what beer is used – any type will do. You don’t even have to use beer, as ay sort of canned drink will do.

Vodka Shots

When it comes to drinking culture, shots are popular because they’re seen as a quick way of getting someone drunk. More often than not, it’s strong spirits such as vodka or gin that are used in shots. A safe version of Russian roulette involves shots of vodka instead of guns. Players get some shot glasses (usually six) and fill one with vodka, while filling the others with water or vodka that’s been heavily watered down. The glasses are scrambled so that no one can tell which one contains the vodka. Those who are participating in the game then take it in turns to choose a shot glass and drink its contents in one go by downing it.

The idea behind this game is that whoever picks the vodka shot has to go through the experience of downing a strong spirit – many people find spirits too strong to consume without some sort of mixer. Some people, especially people in their late teens and twenties, enjoy drinking and play this version of Russian roulette as an innocent, but fun, drinking game to get the night going.

Creating Your Own Safe Russian Roulette Variant

What the games above have in common is that they involve a number of options, one of which has bigger consequences than the others. Pick the wrong can of beer and when opened, beer will rush up your nose; pick the wrong shot glass and it’ll be strong vodka you’re downing in one, not water. Both of these games can be played with just about any number of people and there can be any number of options to choose from. You could have a game with twelve people and twelve shot glasses, only one of which contains vodka, for example, or you could have twelve people but two or more glasses containing the alcoholic drink. There’s plenty of room for variation.

You can, of course, come up with your own version of Russian roulette. Simply create a game that involves choosing from a number of options, one of which is different from the others. Whoever picks the different one loses. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve drinking; you could have foods wrapped up and one of them could be something disgusting, for example.

Whatever you decide to do, just make sure that the version of Russian roulette you play is completely safe and that no one playing it will come to any harm. Games are best enjoyed when they’re all about fun and entertainment; playing something that’s potentially harmful is just reckless. Though some people continue to play the proper, potentially deadly version of Russian roulette, that doesn’t mean you can’t play safe alternatives.

Russian roulette, by its very nature, is a potentially lethal game. After all, when playing it you pull the trigger of a revolver that has one loaded chamber and it’s down to chance whether the firing chamber has the round in it or not. If it does, you get shot; if it doesn’t, you’re safe for the time being. Even though the game can result in death, this hasn’t stopped many people from playing it over the years and taking the ultimate risk.

There are no statistics on exactly how many people have died playing Russian roulette. However, it’s estimated that since the game’s invention, thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people have lost their lives playing the game. Some of the better-known cases of people dying from playing Russian roulette are listed below:

Ivan ‘JP’ Cole

Ivan Cole, also known as ‘JP’, was twenty-five years old at the time of his death. He was a mixed martial arts fighter and lived in the city of Dallas, Texas. It was reported that Cole killed himself while playing Russian roulette in an apartment. He left behind a wife and a four-year-old daughter. In the aftermath of his death, his wife set up a Go Fund Me page and attributed her husband’s passing to ‘gun play’, while the local police department initially classed the death as ‘unexplained’ until the autopsy was completed.

Aimo Leikas

Aimo Leikas was a Finnish magician and entertainer. He was born in 1947 and early on in his career, he specialised in things such as hypnosis, illusions and balancing acts. During the 60s and 70s, the entertainment industry became a lot more competitive, thanks to the rise of TV. And so, Leikas adapted his act and began performing riskier and more extreme tricks. Unfortunately, he decided to take things to a very dangerous place and he would play Russian roulette. He ended up tragically dying at the age of twenty-nine when playing the game in front of an audience. His death ended up being classed as a work-related accident.

Santos Rodriguez

Back in 1973, twelve-year-old Santos Rodriguez and his brother were being questioned about a burglary by Darrell L. Cain, an officer from Dallas Police. The officer suspected the two young brothers of stealing and, rather horrifically, forced them to play Russian roulette in an attempt to get them to confess. Unfortunately, Santos ended up getting shot and died as a result.

Ana Julia Lima Clemente

Ana was just fifteen years of age when she died from playing Russian roulette. She lived in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina and was at home with a friend a year younger than her when the tragic incident occurred. She got a hold of a revolver and was reportedly ‘fooling around’ with it. She pulled the trigger twice and nothing happened. Then, when she pulled it for a third time the round was in the firing chamber and was shot at her, killing her. The revolver belonged to the girl’s uncle and after an investigation was carried out, it was determined that the death was a tragic accident and that no foul play was involved.

Matthew Minkler

Another teenager who died as a result of Russian roulette was Matthew Minkler. He lived in the city of Henderson near Las Vegas and was only seventeen years old when he passed away. Police started a murder investigation and of the two teenage boys who were with Minkler when he died, one was charged with murder with a deadly weapon and the other with accessory to murder after the fact and destroying evidence. Despite one of the boys telling the police the other shot Minkler during a game of Russian roulette, Minkler’s family didn’t believe the gaming element to the story and said that Matthew was simply shot, possibly as a way of shutting him up.

Johnny Ace

Johnny Ace’s full name was John Marshall Alexander Jr. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee and died in Houston, Texas, at the age of twenty-five. He was an R&B singer and had a number of hit singles in the 50s. His death was at first attributed to Russian roulette, however, it later transpired that while Ace technically did kill himself by shooting himself, he wasn’t actually playing the game. According to witnesses, Ace was in a dressing room and has been drinking. He had a pistol with him and pointed it at his girlfriend then at another woman. Someone told him to be careful with the pistol and Ace then replied that it wasn’t loaded – he then pointed it at his face, pulled the trigger and, because the pistol was indeed loaded, he died the and there.

Don’t Add To This List

What all these people have in common is that they died too young and they died when they shouldn’t have. It can’t be stressed enough how dangerous Russian roulette is – the same can obviously be said for guns in general. Hopefully, the number of deaths from playing the game will decrease in the coming years.

Welcome to our brand new blog, SP Times Russia! This is a blog dedicated to the famous but deadly game that is Russian roulette. Here you’ll find a number of posts to do with the game, so if you’re interested in it and want to learn more about it, you’ve come to the right place. If you haven’t got a clue what it’s about at all, don’t worry because right here on this page we’ll give you a brief summary of it.

A word of warning: Russian roulette must never be played properly, as it poses a real risk of death. People have played it in the past and even today, some people still play. Though some have survived, many have died and you must never play thinking the odds are in your favour because there’s still a chance things could go wrong.

So what’s this blog all about? While we strongly recommend you not play Russian roulette, we’ve put together this blog simply to let people know more about the game. Without further ado, let’s get right to it and have a look at what the game is all about.

Russian Roulette Summary

Here we’ll give you a brief summary of Russian roulette. It’s a game of chance where a six-chamber revolver has a round loaded into one chamber. The cylinder is spun and then the game proceeds. Usually two or more people play. If it’s a two-player game, one person will go first and pull the trigger while pointing the gun at their own head (in some games, players point the gun at other players). Five of the revolver’s six chambers are empty, so pulling the trigger is less likely to result in death. However, with each subsequent pull, the chance of being shot increases. The final pull always results in the round being fire and the person being shot.

Though the game is controversial because of its risks of death, that hasn’t stopped it from appearing in many novels, TV shows, movies, video games and songs. It’s appeared in the aptly named novel Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz, in the 2020 action film Money Plane, in an episode of Peaky Blinders, in the video game Detroit: Become Human and has been referenced in songs by Lady Gaga and Rihanna, to give just a few examples.

The Legality of Russian Roulette

Yes, you read it correctly. Russian roulette is a game that involves an actual revolver being loaded with an actual round and being fired – yes, people have died from playing the game. The game isn’t actually illegal, however possessing guns may well be against the law where you live. It also goes without saying that pulling a trigger and killing someone, whether you mean to or not, is obviously a criminal offence and will most likely result in you getting a hefty prison sentence.

While Russian roulette isn’t technically illegal, shooting others obviously is. Unless you want to spend countless years in prison, it’s best to avoid playing and do other things instead.

Read Our Blog Posts

Now you know what Russian roulette is, feel free to go ahead and read some of our blog posts about the game. Find out more about why the game’s played, what safe alternatives there are, who some of the game’s victims have been and more. Give our posts a read to find out more about this morbid yet interesting game and what effects and consequences it’s had.