# やま、韓国のカジノで連敗 - Show: 英語で雑談！Kevin’s English Room Podcast - Published: 2026-10-02 - Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1518322346_428a122701cb.html - Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/260e5c24/podcast/play/126336973/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-8-26%2F417266dc-aa68-f59d-b5b2-d601e1e53ef5.mp3 - Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary. Yama recounts a packed second day in Korea, hitting three cafés before noon, eating kamjatang at a locals-only spot in Gangnam, strolling along the Hangang River, and touring the massive library inside COEX Mall. The day ended at the COEX casino, where Yama played machine roulette six times without knowing the rules and lost nearly every chip he had. ## What this episode answers ### What sightseeing route did Yama follow on his second day in Korea? He café-hopped three times in the morning in the Gangnam area, had kamjatang for lunch with a local friend, walked along the Hangang River where he watched a lacrosse match and boarded a floating boat deck, then visited the Starfield Library inside COEX Mall before finishing the day at the COEX casino. ### What was the kamjatang restaurant like, and how did the food taste? The restaurant looked so run-down that most people would hesitate to walk in, but Yama trusted his friend and went inside; the kamjatang—a hot-pot with potatoes, vegetables, and meat in a clear white broth—was mild rather than spicy, and the potatoes were so fluffy and sweet that Yama called them the best he had ever eaten in his life. ### What was the atmosphere at the COEX casino, and why did Yama give up on table games? Yama's first impression was 'a huge arcade,' with dealer tables on the left side of the hall and slot machines on the right; he had wanted to play psychological table games like baccarat or blackjack, but because he had no idea of the rules he felt too embarrassed to slow down a table full of experienced players, so he switched to machine roulette, which he could play alone. ### How did Yama bet on machine roulette, and what were the results? For the first five bets he picked single numbers such as '23' and '36' (roughly a 1-in-36 chance each) and lost every time; on the sixth and final bet he finally understood the rules, put everything on an even-money zone like black or even numbers, and still lost, leaving him with almost no chips. ### What was the true story behind the 'winnings' Yama brought home from the casino? The only chip left was worth 2,000 won (about 200 yen), which Yama spent at an airport souvenir shop and announced to his friends as 'spending my casino winnings'; in reality his return rate never exceeded 10%, he never came out ahead of his starting amount even once, and the studio pointed out that the money had been his to begin with. ## Article ## Starting the Day with Three Cafés in a Row On his first evening in Korea, Yama had sent out messages on social media to acquaintances in Seoul asking for restaurant and café recommendations. The next morning he wandered into a café that caught his eye in the Gangnam (江南) area, then popped into a second one shortly after. Around that time, a friend replied that they happened to be in Seoul too, and the two arranged to meet up. Yama had just enough time to squeeze in one more café before the rendezvous—three cafés before noon. ## Kamjatang at a Local Favourite Yama's friend led him to a diner whose exterior was, in Yama's words, 'the kind of place most people would hesitate to walk into.' He trusted the recommendation anyway. They ordered kamjatang (감자탕), a hot-pot dish with a clear, milky white broth loaded with potatoes, vegetables, and meat. The flavour was mild rather than spicy. What stood out most were the potatoes: fluffy, gently sweet, and so good that Yama declared them the best potatoes he had ever eaten in his entire life. The two finished the meal with small rice balls served on the side and left completely full. Afterwards they parted ways with the friends who had flights home, and Yama continued exploring Seoul with one remaining friend. ## A Walk Along the Hangang and the COEX Library In the afternoon they headed to the Hangang (漢江) River. A lacrosse match was taking place along the riverside and they stopped to watch for a while. Then they stepped onto a floating boat deck moored on the river. Yama's friend explained that eating cup noodles on the deck is a classic Korean pastime, and they could see locals slurping ramen all around them—but having just had kamjatang, both of them passed. As evening approached they made their way to COEX Mall. Yama had known before the trip that he absolutely wanted to see the Starfield Library inside the mall—a breathtaking space where bookshelves run from floor to ceiling. Standing in it, he was struck by how beautiful the architecture was. The mall itself was so enormous that Yama said he would have been hopelessly lost without his friend as a guide. ## First Casino, No Clue About the Rules When they learned there was a casino inside COEX, the two decided to go in. The biggest and most luxurious casino in Korea is said to be Paradise City near Incheon Airport, but for a first-timer like Yama the COEX casino was plenty impressive—his first impression was 'a massive arcade.' The layout put dealer tables on the left side of the floor and slot and machine games on the right. Yama had been looking forward to the psychological element of table games like baccarat, blackjack, and poker. The problem was that he had absolutely no idea how any of them worked. Not wanting to interrupt the flow of a table full of seasoned players, he abandoned the idea and chose machine roulette instead—a game he could play entirely on his own. ## Six Rounds, Zero Wins, Then Straight to the Airport Using chips he received from his friend, Yama placed a total of six bets. For the first five rounds he kept betting on single numbers—'23,' '36,' and so on—each carrying roughly a 1-in-36 chance of hitting. As expected, he lost every single one. With almost no time left, he finally took a moment to understand how roulette actually works. On his sixth and final bet he put everything on an even-money zone—black or even numbers—giving him roughly a 50% shot. It still didn't land. His chips were nearly wiped out. All that remained was a single 2,000-won chip (about 200 yen), the table minimum. Back in Japan, Yama used that 2,000 won at an airport souvenir shop and proudly told his friends he had spent his 'casino winnings.' The studio was quick to point out that his return rate had never topped 10% and that he had never once been ahead of where he started—meaning he had not technically won a single round. Yama was unbothered. 'That was just a test run,' he said. 'Next time is the real thing.' ## Takeaways - The kamjatang potatoes at a hole-in-the-wall diner in Gangnam earned the title of best potatoes Yama has ever eaten in his life. - At the COEX casino, Yama played machine roulette six times with no knowledge of the rules, went 0-for-6, and finished with a return rate below 10%. - Only on his very last bet did Yama grasp the even-money zones—too late to matter—and he left vowing to study the rules properly before his next visit.