The gang's friendship is seriously tested as they pool their money to win $300 million in the lottery.
- Baby's First Words: Rachel gets excited by Emma saying her first word, "gleba". At first, Ross doesn't think it's a real word, but then Rachel looks it up in the dictionary and finds out that it means "fleshy, spore-bearing inner mass of certain fungi" and he thinks it means she will grow up to be a scientist.
- Bad Liar: Phoebe tries to smooth over dropping the bowl by faking a phone message from the pigeon. Only Joey falls for it.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Rachel is certain that "gleba" is a word and checks the dictionary. She's quite thrilled to prove it really is a word, only to change her mind when Ross expresses certainty that this is proof Emma will become a scientist.
- Bittersweet Ending: Chandler gets a new job as a junior copywriter. Phoebe finds a ticket that wins $3, and thus gets the satisfaction of winning something. However, one of the tickets that they had lost was worth $10,000.
- Bottle Episode: Most of the action is in Monica's apartment with only the main cast, except for the opening and closing scenes at Central Perk and Chandler talking on the phone with his boss.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: A downplayed example, crossing into subversion. Everyone except Ross, who thinks it's a waste of money, wants to pool their money to buy lottery tickets. However, Monica ends up saying that she'll put some money in for him. While he still thinks it's stupid, he's sufficiently touched that he agrees to join in. Of course, in the end they don't win anyway.
- Death Glare: Everyone glares at Phoebe when Gunther reveals that someone won $10,000 with a ticket they found on the sidewalk.
- Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: While dangling the bowl over the balcony's side, Phoebe asks the others what matters more to them: friends or money. Most of them say the former, but Monica says the latter. She sheepishly changes her answer when everyone else stares at her.
- Everyone Has Standards: Subverted. When it's revealed that Monica has been hording extra tickets, Chandler says that's wrong, but he adds that it doesn't look like he's going to get the job and thus can't afford to have principles right now.
- Friendship Moment: Joey reveals his wishbone wish was that Chandler would get the job rather than that they'd win the lottery.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: As Emma is close to talking Ross and Rachel have started using pseudo-cursewords so she doesn't pick up anything inappropriate.Rachel: So get ready to hear a lot of "boo-hockey", "goshdarnit" and "brother-pucker".
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: Rachel does this when Phoebe grabs the bowl of tickets and heads for the balcony.Rachel: Okay, if she jumps, I get her tickets!
- Jerkass Has a Point: It was wrong of Monica to hoard the lottery tickets, but Chandler was unemployed and they were trying to have a baby so they desperately needed the money.
- Never Win the Lottery: The conflict of the episode comes when each of the friends pool $50 for lottery tickets, but Monica is shown to have secretly bought more. In the end, it's revealed that no one won the jackpot...but there was a ticket for $10,000 that Phoebe lost.
- Not So Above It All: Phoebe is thrilled that they got the Powerball number and perfectly willing to split the $3 six ways, but Rachel, Monica, Chandler, and Joey let her have their shares. Ross only agrees to do so because everyone else already did.
- Only Sane Man: Despite being initially dismissive of playing the lottery due to the astronomical odds, Ross's plan for his potential share is to carefully invest it.
- Picked Last: When Joey suggests pooling their winnings to buy the Knicks, Rachel is dubious, until Joey says he'd put her on the team.Rachel: You'd pick me? I never get picked!
- Prophecy Twist: Phoebe is certain they're going to win because of what her psychic said. One ticket has the Powerball number (worth $3), and Phoebe's ecstatic because she's never won anything before.
- Spoiled Sweet: Charlie got the job based on nepotism, but he was really nice and humble about it.
- Tempting Fate: When everyone begins fighting, Phoebe takes the bowl with the tickets and threatens to throw it off the balcony. She then says she wasn't really gonna do it...then a pigeon flies in and causes her to drop it. They are only able to recover half of the tickets, and the next day, Gunther says someone had found a ticket on the street that won $10,000.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Chandler getting the junior copywriter position. As his boss says, he was the strongest one in the program by far.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Monica reveals she kept five of the extra tickets in her bra.
