it seems to me like the dealer lets you win the first round after a while. so far i've only ever managed to get to round 2 because the dealer shoots himself even though we both know there are no more blanks in the gun.
in general the dealer makes strange decisions, for example he'll use a beer even though we know there are only blanks in the gun.
honestly, the first stage is the hardest since you only have 2 charges and in the later stages the items at least add a bit of strategy