Two-up

Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game. It is also widely known as swy (also spelt swei), and this is usually explained in terms of the German word zwei, “two” (on the basis that swy uses two coins).

History

The exact origins of Two-up are obscure, but it seems to have evolved from pitch and toss, a gambling game involving tossing a single coin into the air and wagering on the result which was popular amongst poorer English and Irish citizens in the 18th century. The predilection of the convicts for this game was noted as early as 1798 by the colony’s first Judge Advocate, as well as the lack of skill involved and the large losses. By the 1850’s, the two-coin form was being played on the gold fields of the Eastern states and it was spread across the country following subsequent gold rushes.

Two-up was played extensively by Australia’s soldiers during World War I and games, to which a blind eye was cast, became a regular part of ANZAC Day celebrations for returned soldiers.

As time passed, increasingly elaborate illegal “two-up schools” grew around Australia, to the consternation of authorities but with the backing of corrupt police. The legendary Thommo’s Two-up School, which operated at various locations in Sydney from the early years of the 20th century until well after World War II, was one of Australia’s first major illegal gambling operations. The popularity of Two-up declined after the 1950s as more sophisticated forms of gambling like Baccarat gained popularity in illegal gaming houses and poker machines (slot machines) were legalized in clubs.

Legal Two-up arrived with its introduction as a “table” game at the new casino in Hobart in 1973 and it is still offered in some Australian casinos. Two-up has also been legalized* on ANZAC Day, when it is played in Returned Serviceman’s Leagues (RSL) clubs and hotels. Several tourist “Two-up schools” in the Outback have also been legalized. According to the NSW Gambling (TWO-UP) Act 1988, two up in NSW is not unlawful on ANZAC day.

Rules

Two up is played by players who surround a ring and take turns at being the ’spinner’; ‘come in spinner’ being the call for another spinner to come forward into the ring. The game is managed by a ‘boxer’ who oversees the game and betting and a ‘ringy’ or ringkeeper who looks after the coin tosses in the ring. The spinner offers a bet, which is matched. He then tosses two coins up into the air using a paddle known as a ‘kip’. If the coins are both heads (Heads) he wins, if they are both tails (Tails) he loses and if they are one of each (Odds) he throws again. The boxer takes a commission out of the kitty that the spinner wins. The other punters place side bets.

M. G. Heuston, a WWI veteran, described a game that he ran. The spinner needed to toss Heads three times to win, with his bet having to be matched before each throw. Side bets were held on whether the spinner would toss Heads or Tails and ‘tail betters’ would bet 3/1 against two Heads. The spinner could choose to bet for Tails instead or play sudden death with three coins so that there were no Odds.

In casino play the players gamble against the house and the rules vary along a similar theme. At Star City in Sydney, two-up was removed in October 2003 due to budget cutbacks brought in by Tabcorp, leaving one of Australia’s largest casinos without the iconic game. The spinner needed three Heads to win and was paid 7.5/1. Tails or five Odds in a row was a loss. Other players could place side bets on Heads or Tails. The five Odds are the odds in favor of the House which are 3.4% against the Spinner and 3.1% against side bets. At Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast, the spinner is required to get five heads in a row to win. A loss is three Odds in a row, or Tails. With Odds, all bets are frozen, which means that no-one can change or remove their bets, and new players are not permitted to join. Conrad Jupiters no longer advertises two-up, and is now owned by Tabcorp as well.