Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Current craps come about from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the birth of the game, but Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s paladins played Hazard during a blockade on the citadel Hazarth in 1125 AD. The title Hazard was acquired from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the English, the French moved south and found sanctuary in southern Louisiana where they eventually became known as Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which was acquired from the name of the non-winning toss of snake-eyes in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. A few consider the dice builder John H. Winn as the creator of current craps. In the early 1900s, Winn designed the modern craps layout. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers can wager on the dice to not win. At another time, he established the spots for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.