Trivia: At the end of the episode, several of the musicians backing Mac and his guests are from the Lt. Dan Band, which is fronted by Gary Sinise.
Trivia: During the scene when Stella and Mac were going over the scenario with the card players the last names of the players were actual card players from real life professional card players 1 Kelly Lindgren is actually Eric Lindgren 2. Eddie Brunson is actually Doyle Brunson 3. Joel Ivey is actually Phil Ivey 4. Mike Hansen is actually Gus Hansen.
Chosen answer: Probably to broaden the scope of the show's plot and give the audience a chance to see the characters in a different setting, People act differently at home from the way they do at their workplace. By the ninth season, the characters would have become overly familiar and predictable. It gives the writers a chance to do something different with them.
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