[1] Inspired by the life of professional poker player Jimmy Cha, it starred Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo in a story about one's man's rise through the fiercely competitive world of casino gambling as he clashes with his rivals over money, success, and love.

Orphaned then taken in by his gambler uncle, Kim In-ha (Jin Goo) often hangs out with his friends in the basement of a movie theater.

A meeting was held, and screenwriter Choi Wan-gyu suggested changing the concept to focus more on Jimmy Cha's life as a whole.

[4] Additionally, Joo Sang-wook was supposed to play the young version of Lee Byung-hun's character, but he was replaced by Jin Goo last minute.

[6][9] The kiss scene between Song Hye-kyo and Lee Byung-hun was filmed over two days, moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

[6] Initially, Ji Sung's character Jung-won was planned to die in the story, but as the show's scale increased, its plot became uncertain.

[19] "Like the First Day", the drama's theme song, became a popular ringtone, racking up over 900,000 downloads on caller ring services by March.

[20][21] The identity of its singer, formally named Who, drew curiosity as he had not made any public appearances;[16] it was later revealed that actor Park Yong-ha was behind the song.

[23] Journalist Jeon Yeo-ok wrote that while the drama was "worth seeing", its provocative subject matter and excessive violence was not fit for public TV.

[24] This concern was echoed by a writer for the South Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilbo, who criticized the series as showing a romanticized portrayal of gambling and asserted that it had "everything that shouldn't be seen on TV".

Over 6,000 visitors came to Seopjikoji during the samiljeol holiday of 2003,[33] and in April that year the series' cast members and staff became PR ambassadors for Jeju Island.

[37] Products featured in the series, such as music boxes with which the main characters express their love, were sold to commercial success, reportedly selling 1,000 copies per day.

[45] In April 2003, SBS signed a contract with the Taiwanese cable channel Gala Television to broadcast All In in Taiwan.

[51][52] According to a poll conducted by the TV Asahi variety show SMAP Station in May 2007, All In ranked as the seventh most popular Korean drama in Japan.