What’s Two-up?

Two-up is an Australian game where two old-style (large) pennies are tossed in the air by a ‘spinner’ and bets placed on the ‘result’ – heads or tails. (Aussie pennies had the Queen’s image on one side and a kangaroo on the other, hence the head and the tail analogy.) In the original game, one head and one tail was considered a ‘no result’, and the coins would be tossed again until there were two heads or two tails. The game was illegal and usually played in secluded places, sometimes in the sand dunes along the beaches so ‘spotters’ or ‘cockies’ could warn of any police raids.

The origin of the game of two-up is uncertain, but it’s thought to have originated in the early nineteenth century on the Australian goldfields. The game had its hey-day with the diggers stationed in Flanders in World War I. It remained popular for Australian troops during WWII and is an institution in pubs and clubs on ANZAC Day. A popular version of the game asks players to put both hands on their heads if they think the coins will land as two heads, both hands on their backside if they think the coins will land as two tails, and one hand on the head and the other on the backside if they think the coins will land as a head and a tail.

Two-up Fast Facts
April 25 2003, Sydney Morning Herald

Two-up is legal only on ANZAC Day except in Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie and casinos.
In Broken Hill the game can only be played legally at the Musicians’ Club and in Kalgoorlie at a designated two-up school.
It can be played with either two or three coins.
The kip is the piece of wood the coins are thrown on.
The person in charge of the game is called the boxer or ringer.
A nob is a double-headed coin.
“Come in spinner” is the call for the coins to be tossed.
The person who looks out for the police in an illegal game is called a cockatoo.
In the casino version of the game, punters cannot place wagers with other players, but in the diggers’ version they can bet with as many people as they like.

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