Lesser Known Casino Games: Two-up
American has Seven-up, but Australia has their own invention: Two-up. Although you can’t toss it back like a Seven Up, you can toss it up into the air (literally.)
Two-up is an important part of Australian culture despite its semi-illegal status. Two-up rules couldn’t be simpler. Two coins (normally Australian pennies) are tossed into the air and bets are made on coins coming up heads, tails or a combination of the two.
Despite its place as something “Uniquely Australian” the origins of Two-up are unknown. Most players believe it evolved from Pitch and Toss (a gambling game involving a single coin flip). Eventually Two-up appeared around the mid 1800s and was quite popular with Aussie gold miners. Along with miners, Two-up saw a great deal of popularity with Australian solders. To this day, there’s a strong association with Two-up and the Australian military. So much so that Two-up becomes “more” legal on ANZAC day (Australia’s day to honor their military). Two-up games even find their way into the celebrations!
Since the game was played on the goldfields and battlefields, not much equipment is needed to play. Select a bloke or sheila (That’s a man or woman to non Aussies) as the “Spinner”. That’s the person who throws the coins into the air (every person who wants to gets a chance at spinning.) The “Boxer” is the games manager and makes sure the game goes smoothly. Since they’re managing the game, they don’t participate in the betting. The "Ringkeeper” looks after the coins. If the coins bounce and start rolling, it’s the “Ringy” who chases after them.
There are three outcomes in Two-up. Both coins will land heads up is the first. This has a 1 in 4 chance of happening. The second option is both coins landing tails up. This also has a 1 in 4 shot. The last option is the most common and it’s one coin landing heads up and the other landing tails up. This has a 1 in 2 chance of happening.
Two-up has some variations with the rules but normally two coins heads up is a win for the Spinner. Two tails up is a loss for the Spinner. One coin on each side is a push and the Spinner throws the money into the air. People on the sides, normally make bets on the outcome.
If you’re ever Down Under and want to play Two-up and experience a bit of Australia culture without taking a chance on a impromptu tour of the Australian prison system, head to your nearest Australian casino or online site. Good luck!
