"I don't think it was his joke," Sam muttered grimly. "He'd have put on a bragging party by now, complete with an overly obnoxious victory dance if it was." It would have been easier if Sam could have placed the blame on the Trickster. There was already more than enough reason in the world for Sam to want to hunt him down and kill him. Having one more thing to add to that ever-growing pile would make the hunt he was on now a lot more simple. Sam wouldn't have to bother with searching around and guessing. He'd know exactly who the target in question was. Doing his best to avoid looking frustrated, Sam took another drink from his glass and pushed it aside for good. No more drinking. With the way his mind was set on nothing but bad, Sam would end up worse off than Dean if he kept mixing alcohol into things.
A flood of relief washed over him when Dean brightened at the prospect of swindling some of the poor souls around here out of their cash. When in doubt, cheat at pool. Sam smirked at his brother, eyes quick to roll in amusement at the nickname thrown his way as Dean rose from his chair. They'd probably go with the drunken gambling routine again. Dean was already halfway there, so it only seemed right that he play the part. Sam would be the flustered and annoyed friend, who didn't want his drunk buddy to lose out on all his cash. He'd spent the duration of the game protesting his bets, getting all annoyed at whatever person got into the game with him, and then he'd make sure things didn't get out of control when Dean snapped the steering back into place and won the game out in the end. There was a time in his life when he used to think that getting by like this was stupid, dirty, and pathetic. Sam hadn't agreed with gambling and stealing to get by at all. He had been a college kid, looking for an honest sort of living -- one that didn't involve credit card scams or nights spent watching his brother play poker -- and now...he was different. Sam knew better. He had learned to accept reality. Dreams for people like him only got people hurt. Sam knew better now.
"So long as you don't get your ass kicked first," Sam replied with a grin, rising from his chair as well. He slapped a few bills down onto their table and followed Dean over to the other side of the bar, where there were a few folks huddled around the pool table and along the wall on the other side. Arms folding across his chest, Sam leaned against the wall and waited patiently for his brother to work his magic.