How to play two-up this Anzac Day: Everything you need to know about gambling game that’s outlawed on every other day of the year
Go into an RSL or pub on a Thursday and you’re likely to hear loud shouts of ‘come in spinner’.
The screams will come from gamblers engaged in an intense match of two against each other, an Australian gambling game played on Anzac Day and illegal in most of the country on most other days of the year.
After Australians commemorated those who served and died in military operations on Thursday, some will head to their local RSL or pub to try their hand at the coin toss game.
Two-up was played by Australian soldiers during the First World War and has since become an Anzac Day tradition.
ANZAC Melbourne Pubs. Two up
The game is illegal in locations across most of the country on most days, except Anzac Day – which falls on April 25 every year – but the exact rules depend on the state or territory you’re in.
In Victoria, for example, two-up is only legal on Anzac Day or during commemorative events in the seven days leading up to Anzac Day at RSL clubs, sub-branches and venues used by the RSL, according to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission website. .
In most parts of New South Wales the game is generally legal on Anzac Day, Victory in the Pacific Day (15 August) and Remembrance Day (11 November).
The only exception to this is in Broken Hill, where the game can be played all year round under a special license from the NSW Government.
How to play
There are several variations on how to play the game, so it’s best to double check the rules before participating.
Generally, a match manager, known as a ‘ring keeper’ or ‘ringie’, will select an individual as a ‘spinner’.
The spinner stands in the ring, a designated circle in the room where only the spinner is allowed.
ANZAC Melbourne Pubs. Two up
The spinner places two pennies on a wooden bat, also called a ‘chicken’.
Someone shouts ‘come in spinner’ and at that signal the spinner throws both coins in the air.
They must land within the boundaries of the ring.
Before the coins are tossed, the spinner or other gamblers will select an amount of money to bet on and find someone in the crowd who can match their bet, with one betting on both coins landing heads up and the other betting on both coins landing tails. upwards.
The spinner continues to throw the pennies until both land tails up or heads up.
The ringie will call the result.
The ringie’s decision is final and winner takes all.
Remember to gamble responsibly.