The game - only legal on certain days throughout the year - proved as popular as ever in Wagga as people queued down the street and around the corner to witness a piece of the action at the William Farrer Hotel.

Unlike in previous years, the coins were kind to Tom Cairns as he took home about $1200 in winnings.

"I've been playing for a few years," he said, having travelled from Braidwood for this year's Anzac Day events.

"I'm usually a loser so it came out good today."

Mr Cairns' strategy is simple: stick with one option.

"[It was] tails for the day, except for when you're throwing, and it's pulled through today," he said.

During two-up, a nominated 'spinner' throws two coins (preferably pennies) in the air above head height from a wooden paddle known as a 'kip'.

One coin is placed heads up, the other tails up, and players then gamble on whether both coins will land heads-up or tails-up.

The coins must stay within the designated space, off limit to punters, and a 'ringer' oversees the game to ensure fairness.

In the end, the winner takes all.

The game is played in recognition of the Diggers who used two-up as a means of passing time in the trenches.

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After the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the tradition in recent years, players new and experienced were more than willing to roll their sleeves up and give it a go.

The frenzy of the game could be heard right down the street, with the sound of cheers and the 'ringer' only getting louder as you approached The Farrer.

It was Jess Aitken's first time playing two-up today and she was cheered on by the ever-growing crowd as she tossed the coins in the air.

Most members of the crowd made their way to The Farrer after attending the dawn service ceremony and parade down Baylis Street earlier in the day, with servicemen and women in uniform not afraid to get in amongst the two-up action.

Under the Gambling (Two-up) Act 1998, the game can be legally played on Anzac Day, Victory in the Pacific Day and Remembrance Day (after noon).

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