Anyone have ideas for "Two Up"?

Its a game that is legal in Australia on Anzac Day and it seems the pubs and Service Clubs feature it all day long, every April 26th.

Used to be played by the troops so it became part of the Anzac Day celebrations.

From Wikipedia:


Spinner The person who throws the coins up in the air. Each person in the group takes turns at being the spinner.
Boxer Person who manages the game and the betting, and doesn't participate in betting.
Ringkeeper (Ringy) Person who looks after the coins after each toss (to avoid loss or interference).
Kip A small piece of wood on which the coins are placed before being tossed. One coin is placed heads up, the other tails up.
Heads Both coins land with the "head" side facing up. (Probability 25%)
Tails Both coins land with the "tails" side facing up. (Probability 25%)
Odding Out To spin five "One Head - One Tail" in a row. (Probability 3.125%)
Odds or "One Them" One coin lands with the "head" side up, and the other lands with the "tails" side up. (Probability 50%)
Come in Spinner The call given by the boxer when all bets are placed and the coins are now ready to be tossed.
Cockatoo Only used in the 1800s to late 1930s, it was the nickname of the look-out who warned players of incoming police raids.

The table below show the current bets that can be made at the Burswood Casino in Perth.
Casino Odds Bet Type Casino Edge Payout Description
Single Head 3.125% 1-1 Spinner spins a pair of heads before a pair of tails or odding out.
Single Tail 3.125% 1-1 Spinner spins a pair of tails before a pair of heads or odding out.
Spinner's Bet 3.400% 15-2 Only available to the current spinner. Spinner spins three Heads or Tails, before either tailing out or getting the other result.
5 Odds 9.375% 28-1 Spinner spins five odds "HT" in a row before either a pair of heads or a pair of tails.

I haven't seen Two-Up in an Australian casino for a few years now. Maybe a decade actually. Its largely a boring game that only gets exciting with a big group of people. Being drunk helps. Personally I don't think you're missing much if you haven't played it.


Correct that it's played mainly on Anzac day in pubs and RSL clubs after the ceremonial part of the day is over.

NB: Anzac day is 25th April not 26th.

The game can and has been beaten by a spinner who can perfect a "butterfly" toss. It is a lot easier to control a coin than a die. Last time I was in Oz there were a few places which were lax in enforcing the minimum height rule. I have no idea about current conditions.

They offered this game at MSS when it first opened as Rosie O'Grady's. I watched for a few minutes but didn't play.

Quote: GBV

The game can and has been beaten by a spinner who can perfect a "butterfly" toss. It is a lot easier to control a coin than a die. Last time I was in Oz there were a few places which were lax in enforcing the minimum height rule. I have no idea about current conditions.

This is why I love this forum.

In rural areas of Australia there appear to be certain schools where the game is taught and beer is sold. Please understand that these are serious schools and the local pub manager would be shocked, absolutely shocked, to learn that gambling was taking place on the premises.

In more populated areas of Australia it appears the game is legal only on Anzac day and in casinos. So I guess the only rule for this once a year game is to Get Drunk and Have Fun.

Quote: GBV

The game can and has been beaten by a spinner who can perfect a "butterfly" toss.

Is it just me, or does anyone else hear a can of worms being opened?

It was tested in one of the Grosvenor casinos here in the UK but didn't last long before it was removed.

Wizard actually covered this game, and the similar, "Dragon Phoenix" on the Wizard of Odds Site.

Sports Commentator McIntyre, still unemployed, repeated his Tweets from Yesteryear that were considered blasphemous in Australia. While he may have a point while discussing a Japanese girl raped by a score of Australian soldiers, it should be remembered that Japanese soldiers would often have over a hundred men line up for a local teenage girl.

Please note that "drinkers and gamblers" in the tweet does not refer to any particular Australian character trait but to the fact that on Anzac Day the game of 'Two Up' is lawful and is played virtually non stop. My recommendation, as a professional gambler, is always the same for the game of 'Two Up': if you want to win consistently, own the pub. Otherwise, play it as Tails All The Way and guzzle as much beer as you can.

Myself, I consider Anzac Day to a holiday that commemorates the home front efforts of women to feed troops despite British bungling and the deaths of Anzac soldiers due to British bungling.

I went to a local bakery and I actually had an Anzac Biscuit which I ceremoniously passed "across the water" since to this day American bakeries and bars serve Anzac Biscuits with a tiny glass of water for those who still honor the occasion rather than ridicule it.

Its ANZAC day and all Australia is playing Two-Up. No need for a Cockatiel as its legal at this time of the year.

A few years ago I saw it being played in Perth (WA) and the player uses a paddle to flip the coins. ( https://www.crownperth.com.au/casino/casino-games/two-up )

For OD:

If you toss two coins and your friend peeks at the result and says one of the coins is 'heads,' what is the probability that both are 'heads?' ;)

Do players have to start with a certain alignment of heads/tails (e.g., two tails or one head and one tail)? Also, I thought there was a string designating the minimum height the coins had to be tossed?

I remember that game from the early 1990's in Las Vegas. Wasn't it at the casino that used to be the Holiday inn downtown?

Yes. Main Street Station.