Plot
Kind and warm-hearted, Goni ( Jang Hyuk) only hopes for a better life for his single, hard-working mother (Park Soon-chun). He first starts gambling to make money to buy her a sewing machine, and even encourages her remarriage with local photographer Dae-ho ( Lee Ki-young). What Goni doesn't know, however, is that his stepfather used to be Jirisan's notorious swindler and that Goni's best friend Young-min ( Kim Min-jun) is actually plotting against Dae-ho. In the end, Dae-ho is killed because of Young-min, and Goni is framed. He lands in jail where he learns the ins and outs of gambling in the card game hwatu (; lit. "war of flowers"). Upon Goni's release, he has only one goal: to gamble his way to the top and exact revenge on Young-min and his mastermind uncle Agwi ( Kim Kap-soo).Cast
Main characters
* Jang Hyuk as Kim Goni ** Yeo Jin-goo as young Goni * Han Ye-seul as Lee Nan-sook / Mi-na **Lee Han-na as young Nan-sook * Kim Min-jun as Young-min * Kang Sung-yeon as Madam Jeong * Son Hyun-joo as Go Kwang-ryeol * Kim Kap-soo as AgwiSupporting characters
* Im Hyun-sik as Pyeong Kyeong-jang * Lee Ki-young as Kang Dae-ho, Goni's stepfather *Park Soon-chun as Soon-im, Goni's mother *Awards
; 2008 SBS Drama Awards * Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Planning Drama: Jang Hyuk * Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama: Han Ye-seul * Excellence Award, Supporting Actor in a Special Planning Drama: Son Hyun-joo * Best Young Actor: Yeo Jin-goo * Top 10 Stars: Han Ye-seulInternational broadcast
* It aired in Vietnam from August 5, 2009 on HTV3, under the title ''Canh bạc nghiệt ngã''.References
External links