Heads or tails – sounds like a simple question. And thousands of punters hung on the answer at venues across the city on Wednesday as the annual afternoon of two-up kicked into gear.
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At The Family Hotel in Newcastle West, people gathered around a rectangle of carpet to try their luck and take part in a tradition that’s a nod to the illegal gambling of the Diggers.
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Money was hurriedly exchanged before the betting closed and the call of “come in spinner” blasted from the makeshift ring, where two pennies were tossed from a wooden paddle.
The Greenroof at Hamilton – which claimed to have Newcastle’s largest two-up ring – was chock-full of people who’d gathered to have a beer and place a wager after paying their respect in the morning.
“Always heads,” Islington resident Kate Bower said when asked about her betting strategy – as two tails landed face up in the ring.
“Normally it’s heads, but you don’t really know. I’m hopeful.”
RAAF member Simon Smith said his strategy was to “go slow”.
“I bet what I can, I don’t go too much into it but I have a good time,” he said.
Nick Bielby
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has been with the Newcastle Herald since 2017.
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has been with the Newcastle Herald since 2017.
