Two men are playing Russian roulette using a pistol with six chambers.
A single bullet is used and the chamber is spun after every turn.

What is the probability that the first man will lose?

The chance of the second player dying is 5/6 the odds of the first player dying -- if the first player survives the shot (5/6 probability) then the second player becomes the first player.

As the probabilities must sum 1, the first player's probability is 6/11 and the second's 5/11, which are in the correct ratio.
Edited on November 10, 2003, 1:36 pm

Posted by Federico Kereki on 2003-11-10 12:46:22