The fable "The Scorpion and the Frog" is mentioned by Tony to David Scatino because of its dark morality. It goes, "A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, they would both drown. Considering this, the frog agrees, but midway across the river the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When the frog asks the scorpion why, the scorpion replies that it was in its nature to do so."
The title is a reference to the fraud tactic, commonly used in the organized crime world, wherein a business assets and lines of credit are exploited and exhausted to the point of bankruptcy. Richie and Tony profit from busting out Davey Scatino's sporting goods store in this episode. "Bust-out" is also a poker term that Poker News defines as: "To lose all your chips and thus be eliminated from a tournament."
Tony's cabin cruiser is named "The Stugots" and it is docked in Belmar, New Jersey.
After this episode aired, the real Ramsey Sporting Goods in Paramus, N.J., which was used for exterior shots, had to post signs informing customers that the bust-out was only fictional and that the store was still in business (though it eventually closed years later).
The song played during the ending credits is "Wheel in the Sky", by Journey.