Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Games that use dice and the dice themselves date all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but modern craps is only about one hundred years old. Modern craps formed from the 12th Century English game referred to as Hazard. Nobody absolutely knows the beginnings of the game, but Hazard is said to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the 12th century. It is believed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during a siege on the fortress Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the fortification’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Acadia. In the 18th century, when driven away by the British, the French relocated south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their preferred game, Hazard, along. The Cajuns streamlined the game and made it mathematically fair. It is said that the Cajuns adjusted the title to craps, which was derived from the name of the losing toss of two in the game of Hazard, recognized as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi riverboats and across the nation. A great many think the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He appended the Don’t Pass line so players can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he designed the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.