They say Australians will bet on two flies crawling up a wall but I’ve never seen it – takes too long to get a result.
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But they will bet on two coins – at first to pass time between trips to the front, but now, whenever it’s on. They’ll seek it out in droves for those three days a year when it’s legal.
At the Mt Kembla Hotel on Anzac Day you could hear the game hundreds of metres away, and as the game went on, the beer went down, and the sweat ran, up went the volume.
Meanwhile about 300 at the Master Builders Club in Wollongong found a spinner who turned up an incredible run of eights straight heads.
It was very much a heads crowd, and it was working for them – during the Mercury’s visit heads outnumbered tails more than two to one.
As usual, the crowd was young, largely male, plenty of women holding their own too. And noisy. You hear it well before you see it.
What Diggers there were in attendance stood off to sides watching in silence, accepting the odd respectful nod. Two-up may be played in their honour, and elevated to a level of sanctity that it is protected by law, but the participants are overwhelmingly young civilians who like a bet, and it’s simple as that.
One man cleaned up hundreds riding the wave of heads, accepting high offers and holding his nerve. He explained that he’d quit pokies as a New Year’s resolution so this was his chance.
This is gambling in the raw, not mediated by apps or offshore websites, not needing flashing lights and music.
Sure, you can do your week’s pay in minutes if you’re fool enough, but you’ll do it not feeding a machine but by seeking the eyes of an equally manic bettor who’ll match you for dollars.
Two-up is a game of people, making deals with strangers. Honesty reigns, and any spud who tried to rip off a two-up game may quickly find their own head and tail becoming one.
The beer goes down, the bets go up. Soon we’re hearing calls for 300 on tails. Do we have a tails better for 300?
Heads again.
In this loud and passionate exercise in redistributing wealth, someone must have been losing, but you wouldn’t know it. They’re all smiling, ready to go again.
Twenty on a head!
Everybody set?
Come in spinner!
