Craps TipsBeginner Craps Tips

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Dice and dice games goes all the way back to the Middle Eastern Crusades, but current craps is approximately a century old. Modern craps come about from the old Anglo game referred to as Hazard. No one knows for certain the beginnings of the game, however Hazard is believed to have been made up by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, around the twelfth century. It is theorized that Sir William’s horsemen gambled on Hazard amid a siege on the fortification Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Early French colonists imported the game Hazard to Nova Scotia. In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French headed down south and discovered safety in the south of Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favored game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns modernized the game and made it fair mathematically. It’s said that the Cajuns altered the name to craps, which is acquired from the name of the bad luck throw of two in the game of Hazard, known as "crabs."

From Louisiana, the game migrated to the Mississippi river boats and across the country. A few acknowledge the dice builder John H. Winn as the founder of current craps. In 1907, Winn developed the current craps setup. He added the Don’t Pass line so players can wager on the dice to lose. Later, he created the spots for Place bets and put in place the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.