Asian doramas are a whole separate world, and each one always has one central theme but raises several others in parallel. The theme of gambling, in particular, is quite actively raised in Korean series. It refers not only to casinos and bets but also to individual situations in which the characters have to make difficult decisions and take a lot of risks.
The dorama Tazza (2008) is one of the best examples of how the gambling theme is raised. The central character is Goni, a young gambler drawn into the underground gambling world. What’s interesting about the series is that the mechanics of traditional Korean games are shown in as much detail as possible. The most popular one is flower cards, by the way. Also, the dorama realistically shows the life of card players, when winning is not so much a matter of luck as of skill – card players carefully watch their opponent and calculate the whole story several moves ahead.
The dorama All In (2003) is inspired by the true story of a poker player who was a street orphan and eventually became a big businessman, thanks in large part to professional gambling. But the game doesn’t just help him rise—he has to face the consequences of his choices more than once. Gambling in this dorama is not just entertainment but a real way of life that forces him to make decisions that often determine victory or defeat.
Big Bet (2022) is a dorama that occupies a special place among other projects. The main character is a casino owner in Las Vegas who has to balance the criminal world and his own business. The stakes grow as the plot develops—they directly concern the hero’s life. Interestingly, the story of the gambling industry unfolds not in Korea but in the Philippines.
Naturally, in this row, you simply can not ignore the sensational “Squid Game”—although this project does not resemble the usual format of Korean doramas, it is still part of the genre. The story is about the show’s participants, who can win a huge sum of money. But there will be only one winner, and all the losers are waiting for death.
The material was prepared with the support of www.aviatorapps.in.