Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game, involving a designated "spinner" throwing two coins, usually Australian pennies, into the air. Players bet on whether the coins will both fall with heads (obverse) up, both with tails (reverse) up, or with a head and one a tail. The game is traditionally played in pubs and clubs throughout Australia on Anzac Day, in part to mark a shared experience with diggers (soldiers).
Outside view of the two-up shed in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Two original 1915 Australian pennies in a kip from which they are tossed. 1915 is significant as the year of the Gallipoli campaign which is remembered annually on Anzac Day
Australian soldiers playing two-up during World War I at the front near Ypres, 23 December 1917
Painting of two-up game. Paddington, Sydney. Unknown artist. 1890s
Gambling is the wagering of something of value on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elements to be present: consideration, risk (chance), and a prize. The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice, a spin of a roulette wheel, or a horse crossing the finish line, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season.
Caravaggio, The Cardsharps (c. 1594), depicting card sharps.
Gamblers in the Ship of Fools, 1494
"Players and courtesans under a tent" by Cornelis de Vos
Max Kaur and religious leaders protest against gambling, Tallinn, Estonia.
