Russian roulette

First, apparently, assuming the barrel is not rotated after each shot.

If the barrel is rotated after each shot it doesn't really matter, so best let the other numpty go first in case he gets unlucky.

a much enjoyed and entertaining game whichever way you look at it

There is no way I'd go first!

The answer, according to Plus Maths Magazine is that it's better to go first. Here's their explanation:
Let a be the chance that the person to shoot first wins the game and let b be the chance that the person to shoot second does, so a+b=1. Suppose that you go first. The probability b that your opponent wins is equal to the probability p that he or she survives your first shot times the probability q that he or she wins the game from then on, after having survived the first shot. Since 5 of the 6 chambers are empty and each has an equal chance of containing the bullet, we get p=5/6. Once your opponent has survived the first round, he or she turns into the player to go first, with probability a of winning the game, so q=a. This gives b=5/6a. Putting this together with the fact that a+b=1 gives a=6/11 and b=5/11. Hence you have a greater chance of winning if you take the first shot.

How is one defining 'winning'?

I thought that with Russian roulette you pointed the gun at your own head. Didn't everybody else think that?

In which case it's obviously better to go second if the barrel is rotated.
If the barrel isn't rotated, it obviously doesn't matter.

if it got to shot 6 and you were both still alive is it over or are you obliged to shoot yerself ,whats the official rules

You sure as hell wouldn't want to be shooting fifth because you'd be fúcked either way.

Must be first...1 in 6 of real bullet

2nd 1 in 5

Christopher Waldren was good at this in the 'Deer Hunter' he survived for years playing this

also on 2nd round

you are 1/4 against 1/3

and on last round you are 1/2 against 1/1

oh I see...stow judge worked all that out up the thread

You should always spin between turns...so the safer bet is to go second (assuming the game stops when the gun fires).
There was a scene in a film where they were pulling the trigger twice but I assume that, when the gun was passed to next player, the chamber would be spun again. Otherwise there would be no tension because you would know when the bullet was occupying the next firing chamber.

this is if it is not respun every time

if it is respun, you are always better off going 2nd, that gives you one less chance
of killing yourself than your opponent

oh dear..naydam beat me to that one as well

assuming the game stops when the gun fires

I suspect that may be the case

Yeah Plus Maths Magazine are wrong. Seems like they are trying to make something more complicated than it is. The answer is the probability of winning is the same whether you go first or second, assuming 1 bullet and the chamber not being respun.

Say Player A goes first and B goes second.
At the start when the decision is made if the bullet is in chamber 2, 4 or 6 then player A wins. If it is 1,3 or 5 then player B wins.
The chance of it being in 2, 4 or 6 is 50%, same as 1, 3 or 5.

If your asking whether it's better to go first or second after 1,2,3 plus shots have been fired then that's different but at the beginning when no shots have been fired the probability is the same.

find it a great game to play after xmas dinner, just before charades

Stow,by winning do they mean blowing one's head apart? I have it the other way round .

I have put up one idea for a solution on the blog pages.