Sabong.

It was when I went to the Philippines in February.

It was the weekend, and I was lounging at my friend's place in Candipales, Cebu, when my friend asked, "It's the weekend, is there anything you want to do?"

Me? Well, I think just wandering around and sightseeing is the best.

Really? Then let's get out of Angeles City. Let's go to another city.

My friend and I were searching on Google Maps when a thought suddenly struck me, and I brought it up.

"Sabong! I want to try Sabong."

My friend searched around and found out where and when it was happening, so we headed there.

When we arrived, there was a sabong arena. In an indoor space right next to the arena, two large TVs were installed on the ceiling, and people bet on sabong matches happening in other regions.

There were only two Koreans, my friend and I. There were no Caucasians or other foreigners. The audience of about twenty people, excluding us, were all middle-aged Filipinos.

First, to understand the system, I watched about three matches without betting. I got the hang of it. You choose between a blue rooster, a red rooster, or a yellow rooster, and then you give your money to the staff in front of the TV and buy a betting slip for the amount you want.

I wondered if it was illegal. I had heard somewhere that Manny Pacquiao, a national sports hero and perhaps the most famous Filipino in the world, also raises sabong roosters. Since the country guarantees it, I wasn't worried that it was illegal.

The matches were intense. While watching, I learned that people usually bet around 100-200 pesos. So, I boldly bet 1000 pesos.

The matches usually end within a minute. In just one minute, one of the two roosters becomes chicken...

The odds don't go much beyond double. At most, it's around 1.7x, not even 1.9x. Given the 1/2 probability, this is understandable.

My heart pounded as I bet on the side with higher odds, but I failed. I lost my 1000 pesos in a disheartening way.

After watching a few more matches, I noticed that the side with lower odds kept winning. I reasoned that the roosters with lower odds were the proven ones with higher win rates, which is why their odds were lower. With this deduction, I bet on the side with lower odds. The result was a win. I bet again. Another win. I won twice in a row. Feeling good, I lowered my bet amount and bought two betting slips, one for my friend. The result was my friend won, and I lost...

Still, I was ahead.

If I had stopped there and left, I would have come out with a profit. But as expected, humans repeat the same mistakes. Ultimately, gambling establishments are designed to win, and individuals can never beat them. With continued betting, I eventually lost about 20,000 won and had to leave the place with a heavy heart.

I felt it for a moment, but it was incredibly addictive. Including the preparation time, it's about 5 minutes, but the actual match ends in under a minute. In that one minute, adrenaline and dopamine surge. Even after leaving, I thought about it for a while. This is why people get into sabong.

The Filipino gamblers had lost focus in their eyes, looking like dead fish in a fish market.

Having experienced the addiction, I don't recommend it to Koreans. If I were to do it again, I would only bring pocket change.