ANZAC Day and Two Up

Yesterday was a national holiday in Australia. ANZAC Day. ANZAC is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. April 25 is the annual date in which these two countries celebrate and remember the soldiers who have fought side by side from WWI to the current conflicts in the Middle East. It is also on ANZAC day that the game Two Up can be legally played in pubs and bars across Australia. Here is a quick break down on how you play Two Up. Two coins are thrown up in the air and how they land determines who wins. If both coins land on heads and you bet heads then you win. If they both land on tails and you bet tails you win. If one is heads and one is tails its considered a 'no spin' and the coins are tossed again. The way you wager is interesting. You hold up the money in one hand and yell out either 'heads' or 'tails' and the dollar amount of the bet you are willing to wage. You then wait for someone who is willing to match your bet and is betting on the opposite outcome of the coin toss. The person who bets 'heads' holds onto the money. Not sure why, its just the rule. Betting is then closed off for the round and the coins are tossed in the air. At the Story Bridge Hotel where I went yesterday there were hundreds of people playing. With each toss of the coins the excitement and noise level rose to thunderous levels. I decided to stick with 'tails' on each of my bets and I ended up walking away with $80 in my pocket!

Another custom on ANZAC Day is to drink the drink of choice of the ANZAC soldiers in WWI. The drink of choice....... rum and milk. Yes that is correct. Rum and milk. This was one custom I decided to pass on!