25/4/18
Australia is more than shrimps on the barbie. Even though it’s a relatively young country, the traditions I was able to experience were the tops mate. Case and point: Anzac Day.
ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps and it’s a single day that combines holidays like the 4th of July with Veterans Day and Memorial Day but add more drinking and gambling.
That last part is particularly important because it’s hands down the best part about Anzac Day. In the trenches, the ANZAC soldiers played a game called two-up. Essentially two (sometimes three) coins get tossed in the air and fall within a circle on the ground, you bet if it’s going be majority heads or majority tails up. 50/50 shot at winning big, why wouldn’t you bet?
Image of the original players courtesy of Pickle.
The Australian government allows gambling across the country in any establishment public or private on Anzac Day to honor some lively two-up. And mate, Aussies get more than just lively. They get downright giddy.
If you’ve ever skinny dipped, you may recall the gleeful smiles pasted across the faces of your fellow dippers. A collision of happiness and sin that looks like you’ve just gotten away with murder, and you’re stoked about it. Well that face is worn by everybody in a crowd of twoup, starting at 9am and going until dark.
To bet you can choose heads by taking your betting amount and touching your head with it, raising and lowering the cash for a challenger to see. The challenger takes tails and hands you their money, which you keep until the game has been played and your boxer (emcee) has called it. Winner takes the cash, rinse repeat. There’s a high roller style that happens at the center, but most go for 1:1 bets.
It was momentarily astounding that no fights* broke out and no money was stolen among strangers freely handing cash back and forth, but once you’re there you realize it’s like honor amongst thieves, they’re getting this no-rules day, why ruin a good time?
An American Ranga bets with the true blues. Circa 25 April, 2017
The one Anzac Day I was lucky enough to experience was rainy, but that didn’t matter. The rain really didn’t matter because Aussie dollars are plastic, virtually impossible to break or soak by hand or water.
It also didn’t matter because everyone was on the piss (‘Strayan for drunk).
I lost a fair bit of money that day, but some other person came up – that’s the beauty of the 50/50 chances on Anzac Day. Cheers mate.
*I didn’t see any fights but evidently it happens on occasion.