Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Crusades, but modern craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps come about from the old English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, although Hazard is believed to have been created by the Anglo, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s soldiers wagered on Hazard during a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French colonists brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the English, the French moved south and found refuge in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they fled Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It is believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is acquired from the term for the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Many think the dice maker John H. Winn as the creator of modern craps. In the early 1900s, Winn built the current craps layout. He created the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he invented the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.