The Gamblers

• Have the brothers improved their luck enough to help them with Chuck?
• If Jack's plan only "begins" with eating hearts, how bad will things get? How will this end? And can he become strong enough to defeat Chuck? If he does, will he turn into a monster in the process?
• Since Jack's plan involves killing angels (Gregori), will heaven try to stop him? Will that, once again, put Castiel at odds with heaven?
• Now that Jack is back, will he apologize for killing Mary?

• According to Jack, Billie was hiding him in the Empty to protect him from Chuck. Now that Jack is on Earth, he can’t use his powers, or Chuck will find him.
• According to Jack, Billie has given him a series of tasks to perform that are supposed to make him strong enough to kill Chuck. Killing Gregori and eating their hearts is one of the steps. The remaining steps have yet to be revealed.
• Gregori have their own frequency of angel radio. In this episode, they used it to warn each other about Jack.
• Fortuna says that god created the world, but primitive man didn’t pray to god – they prayed to the sun, rain, stars, etc. Humanity’s failure to recognize Chuck’s greatness initially angered him. But eventually, Chuck created Ra, Anu, Hera, Mixcoatl, and the other ancient gods to take the blame for things like bad harvests, stillborn children, and other misfortunes that humanity encountered. Chuck also liked the epic stories surrounding the gods; but before long, Chuck’s ego couldn’t handle that, either. Now, Chuck hides behind organized religion, while the surviving gods rely on scraps of worship from humanity.
• Fortuna believes the Winchester brothers are epic heroes

• Jensen and Jared made all the pool shots in this episode themselves, including the fancy trick shots.
• The Winchesters would not have been able to drive all the way from Lebanon, Kansas to Barrow or Kotzebue, Alaska. Even the trip from Barrow to Kotzebue, where the pool hall is supposedly located, can't be completed by car. Air travel is required, and the flight is over 3 hours long. Additionally, Kotzebue is closer to the bunker than Barrow is, and that trip is also not driveable. Juneau and Faribanks, Alaska are relatively large towns along the way to Kotzebue, and the drive from Lebanon to either location would take over 53 hours.
• We originally met Gregori in “Angel Heart” (Season 10). They are a species of angels who were originally supposed to protect mankind, but for millennia they have been feeding on the souls of humans.
• Brent Stait, the actor who played Joey in this episode, also played Scottie, a restaurant owner in "Scarecrow" (Season 1)
• Lynda Boyd, the actress who played Fortuna in this episode, also played a djinn in season 8 "Pac Man Fever"
• The sheriff from Oklahoma remembered one of the Winchester brothers as "Agent Watts" when the brothers were trying to find Jack Kline. However, the brothers have not used that alias since season 7, before Jack was introduced as a character
• 'The name of the bar/pool hall in Alaska was Lurlene’s
• 'Dean refers to the lucky rabbit’s foot from season 3 "Bad Day At Black Rock", an episode about a cursed rabbit's foot

• The sheriff in Oklahoma phoned the bunker looking for "Agent Watts", an alias the Winchester brothers have used in the past. The alias refers to Charlie Watts, drummer with the Rolling Stones
• Dean is now lactose intolerant, but uses Lactaid. Lactose intolerant people can't digest the sugar, lactose, that is found in dairy products. Lactaid is a milk-dairy product that contains the enzyme lactase, to help people who are lactose intolerant digest dairy products containing lactose
• When the waitress at the diner accused Dean and Sam of being "nuts", Dean says he and Sam are a couple of “Mr. Peanuts”. Mr. Peanut is the advertising mascot for the Planter's Peanut company. Mr. Peanut was introduced in 1916 and still appears on packaging today
• Dean says he and Sam barely made it out of “Monster fight club”, alluding to the 1999 drama "Fight Club" about s secret club where members meet for bare-knuckle fighting
• Joey Six was a fictional character from the 1996 drama "The Substitute"
• In Roman mythology, Atrox Fortuna is the goddess of fate or fortune and the personification of luck (good or bad). Also according to Roman mythology, Pax is the goddess of peace.
• 'Dean and Sam decide to use a pool hustle based on the 1961 film "The Hustler" starring Paul Newman (as “Fast Eddie” Felson) and Jackie Gleason (as Minnesota Fats)
• Dean was correct. "PBR" is the Professional Bull Riding Association, founded in 1992
• Castiel used fed alias Agent Lizzo, alluding to American singer Lizzo. Castiel often uses female fed aliases, like Agent Beyonce (after singer Beyonce Knowles), and Agent Spears (referring to singer Brittany Spears)
• One patron at the bar appeared to be playing so that the Minnesota Vikings football team would win a Super Bowl. The Vikings have played in four Super Bowls (1970, 1974, 1975, and 1977), but they've never won
• Fortuna called Dean a “beach read”. He replied that he’s Tolstoy. A beach read implies light reading, generally about a superficial topic. Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) was a world-famous, Russian author known for creating heavy subject matter
• Fortuna mentions several ancient deities: Ra (the Egyptian sun god), Anu (Mesopotamian supreme god), Hera (queen of the Greek pantheon and wife of Zeus), and Mixcoatl (the Aztec god of stars and the heavens)
• Fortuna mentions epic heroes: Hercules (Greek god and son of Zeus), Gilgamesh (a ruler and hero from Mesopotamian literature), and Cu Chulainn (an Irish mythological demi-god)

• "North to Alaska" -- by Johnny Horton (plays during the opening teaser when Joey and Leonard are playing pool)

• "Passing Glance" -- by Marian McPartland (plays when Dean is playing pool and Sam is talking to Evie)

• "Just Enough Blues" -- by Elijah Honey (plays when Dean and Sam are in the diner)

"The Gamblers" full episode discussion