Today is the day. All 10 episodes of Bet are now available to stream on Netflix, which means you can binge-watch the entire first season from start to finish without missing a beat. Or, maybe you'd rather savor the drama one episode at a time. Either way, you're in for a wild ride!
Bet is a live-action series adaptation of the popular Japanese manga Kakegurui from Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura. However, keep in mind that it's not a direct adaptation. It doesn't follow the exact same story and instead draws inspiration from the original, offering a fresh take with new characters and plotlines. Don't worry, though. Yumeko Jabami and her love for high-stakes gambling are still the main focus of the show.
In this live-action series, Yumeko transfers to the prestigious boarding school for the global elite, St. Dominic's, where underground gambling dictates the social order. With her unmatched gambling talent and unpredictable nature, she quickly becomes a wild card, challenging the powerful Student Council and setting her sights on a secretive, personal revenge mission that could shake the school to its core.
In this article, we're going to break down what all happens in the first episode titled "Game On."
Spoilers from Bet episode 1 ahead!
Yumeko has her first gambling match at St. Dominic's
The first episode begins with Yumeko at her current school, Central High, where she and several students, along with a teacher, are caught gambling during detention. Despite being repeatedly sent to detention for her gambling habits, Yumeko remains unfazed. We learn that she was born in Japan and given the nickname "Kakegurui," meaning compulsive gambler.
After emerging victorious in a match against her peers and the teacher, the principal enters, reprimands her, and informs her that she’s been expelled. Her guardian arrives shortly after, letting her know that her bags are packed and her flight to a new school is ready. From the look on Yumeko's face, it's clear that being expelled was part of her plan all along. She arrives at her new school, St. Dominic's, the elite boarding school that her parents once attended with a positive mindset. Around her neck is a chip her mother gave her when she was younger. In a flashback, we learn Yumeko learned how to gamble from her mother.
Meanwhile, in another part of the school, two students, Ryan and Mary, are engaged in a card game. In front of them stands a leaderboard displaying the names of various students, each accompanied by a monetary amount. The students listed at the top of the board have positive dollar amounts next to their names, while those at the bottom are in the negative. Ryan is sweating bullets as Mary warns him that if he loses the game, he'll drop in the rankings and become one of her house pets. Ryan ends up losing, and his name on the board drops to the bottom with a -$20,000. He's now Mary's house pet, meaning he has to do her bidding.
Later, Ryan meets Yumeko and there's an instant attraction on his part. He breaks down the school and its social hierarchy to her. He explains that St. Dominic's is home to the children of the most powerful and affluent families, educating many of the nation’s future leaders and top professionals. He explains that most of the students are legacy, meaning that their parents once attended the school, and that gambling is pretty much the foundation of everything there. It determines popularity, privilege, and even punishment.
Those in the top 10 on the leaderboard are part of the school's Student Council, which is made up of Dori, Mary, Suki, RIri, and Kira. They control the games, set the rules, and hold all the power. Kira, the Student Council president, is particularly feared for her ruthless approach. Ryan explains to Yumeko that falling into debt through gambling turns you into a house pet. House pets are forced to serve their owner until they win their way out. Teachers have no real authority at St. Dominic’s, as they ultimately answer to the board, a group of wealthy, influential parents who fully endorse the system in place.
Kira’s father, Arkadi, oversees the school’s board, which essentially gives Kira control over both the institution and the gambling system that governs it. Later, Yumeko meets her roommate, Blake Samuels. Yumeko asks Blake if they can switch beds because she likes her side of the room better, but Blake isn't okay with the idea at first. Yumeko then proposes a wager: $10,000 says that by the end of the day, Blake will agree to switch on her own. Intrigued and slightly amused, Blake accepts the bet.
During lunch, Yumeko meets Student Council members Mary, Dori, Suki, and Kira. She even gives Kira a mysterious gift. A loner student, Michael, also introduces himself to Yumeko and tries to warn her of getting involved with the Student Council and gambling. However, Yumeko brushes off his concerns with a playful smile, clearly unfazed. Mary challenges her to a game to which Yumeko accepts.
In a flashback, we learn that Yumeko's parents left her 12 years ago in the care of a guardian named Mrs. Kawamoto. This is the same guardian who came and picked her up from Central High earlier in the episode. However, the flashback doesn't explain why her parents had to leave. It was her mom, Keiko, who taught her that gambling is supposed to be fun. That it's not about winning or losing, but about the thrill of the game.
It's finally time for the match between Yumeko and Mary. Before the card game starts, Yumeko tells Michael that her goal is to get on the Student Council, but she doesn't go into detail about why. As the game goes on, Yumeko wins some rounds and then Mary. However, Yumeko soon uncovers that Mary is cheating by using Ryan to secretly reveal what cards she plans to play. Instead of backing down, Yumeko smiles, more determined than ever. She puts the bet at $10,000 and claims that if she wins, she wants to give half of her winnings to Ryan. She then changes the wager to $100,000 and says that whoever loses becomes the other's house pet. Mary ends up losing and becomes Ryan's house pet. She also loses her position on the Student Council.
Later, Yumeko finds a downcast Mary outside. Mary asks her why she didn’t expose her for cheating, to which Yumeko replies that she simply wants to play a fair game. However, Mary tells her that cheating is a common practice at the school, and the sooner Yumeko accepts that, the better off she’ll be. Yumeko arrives back at her dorm, where she finds $10,000 in chips and a note saying that she won. She won the bet against Blake.
The final scene of the episode flashes back to the day Yumeko’s parents left her. As she watches them get in their car from the window, she witnesses their car explode the moment the engine roars to life. Back in the present, Yumeko tells Ryan that she's at St. Dominic's for blood, so it looks like she's there on a revenge mission.