Russian Roulette: A Deadly Game of Chance
The term Russian roulette originated roughly in the 1900s in the Russian army. It is a lethal game of chance, in which a single live round is placed in a revolver, the cylinder is spun and snapped back in the gun. Then, the player places the muzzle against his head and pulls the trigger. The so-called roulette element is a reference to the risk of spinning the revolver cylinder like in a roulette.
The number of pulls of the trigger before a bullet is expected to be fired is about 3.5 if you do not spin the cylinder between the pulls, just as the game was meant to be played. Of course, there were much more awful versions of this game, such as the Caucasian or also known as Chechen Roulette. In that game, the gun is fully loaded, and only one bullet is removed, before the game starts. This leaves five rounds and one empty chamber, and as you can tell, slim chances for survival. Chechen terrorists used to make their prisoners play this devious game for their entertainment. If you would like to know more about the history of the deadly roulette, then you can check out the Russian Roulette history post that we made. If you would like to see Derren Brown’s Russian roulette explained, please continue reading.
Exposing Brown’s Elaborate Hoax
After the show aired on live TV viewers shared their concerns regarding the legality and safety of the stunt with Channel 4 and the police department of Jersey island. Why did Derren Brown go there you ask? Well, handguns are illegal in the United Kingdom, and a stunt like this would not be possible there. People considered Brown either brave or reckless until the Jersey police department revealed information that exposed the show as nothing more but a trick.
“We would never allow live ammunition to be used, so the show used blank ammunition with permission. ” – Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper.
Permission was given to Brown and his team to hire a productions and props company to bring 50 rounds of blank ammunition and specialised special effect equipment. It was used to replicate the impact of a bullet on a sandbag, as shown in the recording. Channel 4 advised the police department that the show will be filmed at a farmhouse in Grouville at the south-east part of the island. People also speculate the truthfulness behind the statement that Derren Brown never met the candidate used as the one checking and loading the gun. There was also a lot of camera work and post-production editing that is just impossible to do if the show was truly live. It must be pre-recorded or delayed in case the worst happens.
What Derren Brown did, was an elaborate hoax worthy of his title of illusionist. Three million viewers were watching him with sparked interest and emotion. Brown did an amazing magic trick which took thorough planning and set up. In the video of the stunt, both him and the assistant were extremely nervous as the pressure was real. This is because even blank rounds from point-blank range will kill you. Although there is no real bullet being shot, the gunpowder is still there. The shockwave created is more than enough to penetrate the skull and do lethal damage. This added a great deal of realism to otherwise controlled stunt and required amazing determination from the host to go through with it.
“The best lies stay close to the truth.” – Cornelia Funke
Since it was never truly confirmed whether the participant that inspects the gun and loads it never met Derren Brown, it is still possible. The part of the public that still think that Brown never met the person beforehand, speculate if the illusionist was also a master of persuasion or hypnosis. One such technique is called Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), which was developed in the United States in the 1970s. It is based on cognitive and behavioural psychology, stated by the co-director of the NLP Training Centre in New York, USA. So much speculation is surrounding Brown and the stunt while proving only one thing for sure – he is a great showman.
Win Real Money, Without the Deadly Risk
Although quite deadly and reckless, it is understandable why Russian Roulette was invented. Gambling has been carried out for so many years, that people are always looking for something more. Russian roulette is just the game with the highest stakes where if you are not lucky, your end will be grim.
If you are looking for such a thrill, but you don’t have a death wish, then will enjoy playing the casino table game of roulette. You can take advantage of amazing welcome bonuses and promotions when you register an account and make your first deposit. You will experience excellent overall quality and great rewards. In case you are a person who is always on the move, fret not, as most of the casinos are completely mobile-friendly or have a dedicated mobile app available.
You can also play a wide variety of other games except roulette, such as thousands of available slots, blackjack, poker, Baccarat and many others. There is a very rich variety of them, and for sure you will find something to your liking. For the players that love the feeling of a real table game experience, all casinos in the list offer live dealer games. You can get the same excitement from playing on the Vegas Strip, from the comfort of your home.
