The Royal Gambler[1] (Korean대박; Hanja大撲; RRDaebak; lit. Jackpot) is a South Korean historical drama starring Jang Keun-suk, Yeo Jin-goo, Jun Kwang-ryul, Choi Min-soo, Yoon Jin-seo, and Lim Ji-yeon. It replaced Six Flying Dragons and aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 (KST) from March 28, 2016, to June 14, 2016, for 24 episodes.

The Royal Gambler
Promotional poster
Also known asDaebak
GenreHistorical
Written byKwon Soon-gyu
Directed byNam Geon
StarringJang Keun-suk
Yeo Jin-goo
Jun Kwang-ryul
Choi Min-soo
Yoon Jin-seo
Lim Ji-yeon
Hyun Woo
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes24
Production
ProducerLee Hee-soo
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesTheKEntertainment
ONDA Entertainment
Original release
NetworkSBS
ReleaseMarch 28 (2016-03-28) –
June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14)

Plot edit

This drama is about a prince who is forced to live as a commoner and uses his gambling skills to take revenge on the King. Dae-Gil (Jang Geun-suk) and King Yeongjo (Yeo Jin-goo) enter a match. Dae-Gil bets his life and King Yeongjo bets the entire Kingdom of Joseon on the outcome. Dae-Gil is the best gambler in the Joseon era. He holds deep resentment inside, but is also cool on the exterior. King Yeongjo is a man who never lowers his head without a convincing reason. Meanwhile, Dam-Seo (Lim Ji-yeon) exists solely to take revenge upon king.

It is a fictionalised account of events leading to the accession of the throne by King Yeongjo, and also a fictionalised account of the 1728 Musin Rebellion.

Cast edit

Main cast edit

Supporting cast edit

Ratings edit

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Episode # Original broadcast date Average audience share
TNmS Ratings[3] AGB Nielsen[4]
Nationwide Seoul National Capital Area Nationwide Seoul National Capital Area
1 March 28, 2016 9.5% 11.1% 11.8% 13.0%
2 March 29, 2016 9.9% 11.0% 12.2% 13.7%
3 April 4, 2016 9.1% 10.1% 11.6% 12.5%
4 April 5, 2016 8.9% 10.4% 9.5% 10.4%
5 April 11, 2016 8.6% 10.4% 9.2% 9.8%
6 April 12, 2016 8.0% 10.2% 8.4% 9.3%
7 April 18, 2016 8.1% 9.3% 9.1% 8.9%
8 April 19, 2016 7.7% 9.2% 8.7% 9.1%
9 April 25, 2016 8.2% 9.5% 8.0% 8.5%
10 April 26, 2016 8.1% 9.5% 8.9% 9.7%
11 May 2, 2016 8.3% 10.5% 8.9% 9.4%
12 May 3, 2016 8.8% 10.8% 9.2% 9.8%
13 May 9, 2016 8.5% 9.8% 8.7% 9.3%
14 May 10, 2016 8.6% 11.3% 8.4% 8.8%
15 May 16, 2016 8.1% 9.4% 8.4% 8.3%
16 May 17, 2016 8.0% 8.8% 9.6% 10.4%
17 May 23, 2016 7.5% 8.7% 9.5% 10.5%
18 May 24, 2016 7.6% 8.6% 8.5% 8.8%
19 May 30, 2016 7.6% 9.3% 7.7% 7.8%
20 May 31, 2016 6.8% 7.9% 8.1% 8.1%
21 June 6, 2016 8.6% 10.2% 10.3% 11.4%
22 June 7, 2016 8.9% 10.8% 9.9% 10.0%
23 June 13, 2016 8.6% 10.3% 9.2% 9.1%
24 June 14, 2016 9.0% 10.6% 10.0% 10.2%
Average 8.4% 9.9% 9.3% 9.9%

Original soundtrack edit

The Royal Gambler OST
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Recorded2016
GenreSoundtrack
LanguageKorean
LabelLoen Entertainment

OST Part 1 edit

Released date April 06,2016
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Time Stops (시간이 멈추면)"Park Wan-kyu4:07
2."Time Stops (시간이 멈추면)" (Inst.) 4:07
Total length:8:14

OST Part 2 edit

Released date April 19, 2016
No.TitleArtistLength
1."I Miss You (그리워)"Kim Bo-hyung (Spica)3:32
2."I Miss You (그리워)" (Inst.) 3:32
Total length:7:04

OST Part 3 edit

Released date April 26, 2016
No.TitleArtistLength
1."I Want To Love You (사랑하고 싶다)"Postmen4:17
2."I Want To Love You (사랑하고 싶다)" (Inst.) 4:17
Total length:8:34

OST Part 4 edit

Released date May 19, 2016
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Same Wish (같은 소원)"Cheon Dan-bi4:02
2."Same Wish (같은 소원)" (Inst.) 4:02
Total length:8:04

International broadcast edit

In the United States, the drama airs in the Los Angeles DMA free, over-the-air on LA 18 KSCI-TV (channel 18) with English subtitles, Mon-Tue 9:15PM, from April 25 to July 12, 2016.[5]

Awards and nominations edit

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2016 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Choi Min-soo Nominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Jang Keun-suk Nominated
Grand Prize (Daesang) Jang Keun-suk Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Won
Choi Min-soo Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Yoon Jin-seo Nominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama Yeo Jin-goo Won
Best Couple Award Jang Keun-suk and Yeo Jin-goo Nominated
Top 10 Stars Award Jang Keun-suk Won
Idol Academy Award – Best "Drudge" Nominated
Idol Academy Award – Best Eating Jun Kwang-ryul Nominated

References edit

  1. ^ 여진구, 무시무시한 카리스마 "도성 향해 고개도 들지마라" 《The Royal Gambler》 대박 EP24. YouTube (in Korean). SBS Drama. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Actor Jang Keun-suk wants to start anew with 'The Royal Gambler'". 2016-03-23. Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  3. ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "The Royal Gambler - LA18 Mon-Tues Korean Drama". Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-04-22.

External links edit