What does it mean when you play 'russian roulette'?

Question

What does it mean when you play 'russian roulette'?

Answer 1

Bonnef above gives the literal meaning.  Russian Roulette is a game of death and life (literally).  This phrase also means to literally or figuratively play a game of life or death.  

Doing something that can quite easily destroy your life (work life, family life, social life, love life, etc) is compared to putting a single round in a revolver and pulling the trigger with the gun pointed at your head.  The odds are 1:6, but the bad result will kill you.

So, if someone is playing russian roulette (literally) they are doing what Bonnef said, i.e. using a gun with one round, spinning, pointing at their head and pulling the trigger.  It's foolish to do.  If someone is doing something similarly foolish in their lives (taking drugs, sleeping around, stealing from work, etc) though the odds are low that they'll get caught, killed or harmed - they are still considered "playing russian roulette".

Answer 2

Put one bullet in a revolver, spin it, shut it, aim it at your (or someone else's) head, pull the trigger.  There's a 1 in 6 chance that the floor will end up with brains on it.

Answer 3

Its a game where you spin a gun and shoot the person it stops on