Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games goes back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately 100 years old. Current craps formed from the 12th Century Anglo game called Hazard. No one absolutely knows the origin of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, sometime in the twelfth century. It’s believed that Sir William’s soldiers enjoyed Hazard through a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the English, the French headed down south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they at a later time became Cajuns. When they departed Acadia, they brought their preferred game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s believed that the Cajuns altered the title to craps, which is derived from the term for the non-winning toss of two in the game of Hazard, referred to as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi scows and all over the country. Many acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the father of current craps. In 1907, Winn built the current craps setup. He created the Do not Pass line so gamblers can bet on the dice to lose. Afterwords, he designed the boxes for Place wagers and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.