2UP Game

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2UP is a gambling game primarily played in Australia. When it is described, it sounds like the Gamble game with coins you would traditionally play on a slot machine. It goes like this: There is a so-called Spinner who throws two pennies into the air. The players surrounding him will bet if the coins thrown will both come up heads or tails; or, conversely, if one coin comes up heads and the other tails. The latter is known as a “Ewan.” This 2 Up Game is normally played on Anzac Day in pubs and clubs throughout Australia. ”The reason is to mark a shared experience with Diggers through the ages.” A Digger is a military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand.

Why Use Pennies in the 2Up Game?

Official sources state that “their weight, size, and surface design make them ideal for the game. Weight and size make them stable on the "kip" and easy to spin in the air. The design of pre-1939 pennies had the sovereign's head on the obverse (front) and the reverse was totally covered in writing making the result very easy and quick to see.” A “kip” is a small piece of wood on which the coins are placed before being tossed. Both coins are placed tails up.

Here is Another Factoid

“The popularity of two-up declined after the 1950s as more sophisticated forms of gambling like baccarat gained popularity in illegal gaming houses, and pokies were legalized in clubs. Legal two-up arrived with its introduction as a table game at the new casino in Hobart in 1973, but is now only offered at Crown Perth and Crown Melbourne. Two-up has also been legalized on Anzac Day, when it is played in Returned Servicemen's League (RSL) clubs and hotels. Several tourist "two-up schools" in the Outback have also been legalized. Under the New South Wales Gambling (Two-Up) Act 1998, playing two-up in NSW is not unlawful on Anzac Day.”

Does This Game Remind You of a Game You May Have Played as a Youth?

Although pennies were not used traditionally, quarters were mainly used in this game. Players would throw quarters up against a wall, and the player whose quarter landed closest to the wall would win all the quarters.